Break Forth to New Mutiny
by justvisiting80
Summary: This started as a quick scene between Drake and Roman, taking place some time soon after Episode 105, in which Drake confesses his recent "mistake". It REALLY grew from there. *Anyone interested in Star-Crossed, I've been told there is a petition online to keep Star-Crossed alive. I've also been told people can do a search for "Star-Crossed" and "petition" for more information.*
1. Chapter 1

_[This was intended mostly as a one-off, but it appears it will grow a little from here. Please bear with me. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm terrible at writing in men's voices so this was a challenge for me.]_

The waitress dropped two waters onto the table, pulled a pen out from the hidden depths of a large braid snaking between the birthmarks on her bare shoulder blades, and nodded toward Roman.

"What'll you have?" she asked quickly. Roman shook his head and pointed at the water; Drake, hunched over across from him, ordered a snack and sent her on her way.

"Okay - you asked. I came. Alone," Roman said. Ever since their showdown at the Wall, Roman had felt the strain between them. He would keep his guard up until he knew Drake's true purpose.

"Can I ask you something?" Drake whispered. He looked around the restaurant before grabbing Roman's elbow and pulling him further back into the booth. Roman's eyes narrowed suspiciously. If this had to do with the Trags and their plans...

"Have you ever thought about... you know..with a human?" Drake muttered quickly. It was so unexpected that Roman almost answered. He caught himself in time, and managed a confused smile. He looked more closely at Drake, and realized he looked awful, exhausted; haunted.

"Uh, you're going to have to be more specific."

"I mean, have you ever thought about what it would be like? ... With one of them?" Drake seemed frustrated by the need to explain, and now that Roman had regained his composure, he couldn't help toying with Drake just a little longer.

"Hm, Drake, I don't even know what you're trying to get at here." Roman's blue eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled.

"Dammit, Roman! I mean that girl Taylor and I... we... I couldn't stop it from happening. She threw herself at me, and when she took her clothes off, my brain just went... I don't know what to do, man. Help me!" Drake was bent nearly double, his head in his hands as he struggled with his own secret shame.

Roman shut down. His vision was clouded by sudden, violent hatred for his best friend. How dare he? How _dare_ Drake take the deepest, most private dream that Roman harbored, and sully it in a moment of hormonal _stupidity_?!

But at the same time, hopes Roman had not allowed for himself flooded his senses. He could feel Emery's skin pressed against his own as if they were together even now, could hear the light quick panting of her breath, see the gentle slope of her hips - and his own hands, pressed into her bare flesh as he pulled her close to him. He smelled her sweat mixed with the floral soap she used, tasted her lips and ached for more.

A slow, steady banging noise interrupted his daydream and he realized it was Drake, pounding his head against the table.

"Stop it. Just… stop, Drake," Roman managed to croak. He was sure his eyes betrayed his guilt, but Drake was so engulfed in his own agony that he misread Roman's look.

"Please. Don't judge me! I haven't slept in days. Besides - there's nothing you could say that I haven't already said to myself, anyway," Drake moaned.

"Do you love her?" Roman asked quietly.

The question shocked Drake upright, and he grimaced.

"What? No! I mean… no, man. I swear. I'm not some damn race traitor. I would never fall for a human."

"So, are you telling me that if she walked in here right now, and batted those big eyes of hers at you, you could just walk away?" Roman pressed. His own mind flooded with the warm brown of Emery's smiling eyes even as he spoke.

"Roman, I swear to you, I…" but then Drake hesitated. He tried to recover but knew it was already too late.

"No," he said honestly, after a moment. He allowed himself a half-smile. "It _was_ pretty amazing, though. I've been with Atrian girls, of course, but with a human everything is… different. Hotter. I can't stop thinking about it. It was so… " Words failed him and he slumped back, ashamed again.

Roman didn't know how to answer. Suddenly the room felt very small. He needed to get away from this. He needed to find Emery. And he _really_ needed to punch the shit out of that obnoxious Grayson kid.


	2. Chapter 2

Before Roman could find an excuse to slip away, Drake's voice interrupted from across the table again.

"So are you going to help me or not, Roman?"

"Help you? Help you do _what_, exactly? You have…" words failed Roman and he banged the table in frustration.

"I don't think we even have a word for what you've done," he finished roughly.

His anger confused Drake. Roman was so passionate about that fairy-tale of integration. Of all the Atrians, Roman was the one Drake chose to confess to because, despite the tension between them recently, he was sure Roman would be the most forgiving. And if Drake had any hope of surviving the revenge of the Trags, he'd need all the forgiveness he could get.

"Come on, man, I know we have our issues but I thought you'd _at least_ be willing to help me avoid murder," Drake pointed out. Roman finally realized Drake had not called him out to discuss girls – human or otherwise. Against his better judgment, Roman searched out Drake's eyes looking for confirmation of his theory.

"The Trags," Roman moaned. He pushed his own problems back down into his gut and began thinking out loud. "Well, assuming you weren't an idiot about it, nobody even has to know, right?"

Drake sighed.

"Yeah… but I was an idiot," he confessed. "I think Teri suspects something. And there's this Trag on the outside - you know, had her markings removed? She definitely knows. _And_ seriously hates me." He stopped himself there; Roman was his best friend, but they would never see eye-to-eye on the Trags. If Roman knew about the black cyper, he would certainly try to stop it.

It all made no sense to Drake. Their lives were a living nightmare because of the humans, so why even bother trying to find a peaceful solution? Would peace get his mother out of the crates, or bring back Nox, or any of the hundreds of others that had already died so innocently? The humans treated them like _animals_! ...But just behind those thoughts, he remembered Taylor's laughter and the taste of her as they had made love that night. He tried to shake her out of his mind, to focus instead on the very real danger she had brought to his life. There could _never_ be a next time with her so he needed to stop thinking of it. He needed to hate her. Anything less and Vega would bury his body next to Beaumont's as a second nursery for her black cyper.

It would help his situation out a lot if Taylor weren't so hot, though.

Roman and Drake stayed until nearly curfew, saying little, and parted ways awkwardly before heading back to their homes. Castor was in the kitchen when Roman walked in. He seemed to be in their kitchen an awful lot these days. Loyalty to a dead brother's family was all well and good, but it seemed to Roman like overkill at this point.

"Curfew is in a few minutes, Roman. Where have you been?" Castor demanded. Maia, perhaps sensing the tension, slipped away to check on Sophia's schoolwork.

"I'm sorry, but I fail to see how it's any of _your_ business where I spend my time," Roman answered as calmly as he could.

"Well, as the standing _Iksen_ on this planet, I believe it is most definitely my business." Roman rubbed his temples at his uncle's tone, and tried to draw on the memory of his father's endless generosity as he formulated a response.

The best he could do was shake his head and respond, "Well, I'm home now, so everything's fine. I'm going to go study in my room."

Roman slept poorly that night. It mattered little whether he was awake or asleep – Emery haunted him either way. Just before daybreak he got up to prepare for his day. As he stepped out into the hallway, he heard hushed voices in the main room. He quickly stepped back into his doorway, and strained his ears to listen. Someone was speaking Sondiv, and Roman regretted his father's emphatic use of English in their home as he tried to pick out recognizable phrases.

The man was saying he was leaving, and his mother was not happy. Something about… a secret… and… Roman grabbed for the wall as a support. The last phrase, he understood perfectly.

"_Asa ijita idi_," the man said, "I love you." And then he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Roman counted to ten, faked a big yawn, and walked as casually as possible out to the main room. He tried to look nonchalant as he kissed his mother good morning and asked if someone had been visiting, since he thought he'd heard the door?

Maia tilted her head, wrinkled her brow, and frowned slightly. "At this hour?" she asked, then slid deftly past her son and headed for the kitchen. _Liar. You're having an affair._

Sophia found Roman on the roof, an hour later, draped morosely along the edge of the cyper table. "What are you doing, Roman? The bus leaves soon. And you're not even dressed."

"Sophia, can you just tell everyone I'm sick or something?"

"Are you sick?" Sophia asked pointedly. Her head was tilted in a disturbing reflection of their mother's look from earlier.

"…No…" Roman admitted. He stood up, and slung a fraternal arm over Sophia's shoulders, nearly knocking her sideways. "Sophia, promise me you don't have any secret love affairs to confess to me, okay? I can't take any more."

Sophia half-laughed nervously and agreed not to tell him anything about her love life at all, ever. _Ugh. _That's the last thing she wanted – more stifling overprotection from Brother Dad.

Roman tried his best to make himself invisible in his classes. He had managed to avoid Gloria (his father's secret human mistress) since their disturbing encounter at the dead-end to Eljida. Drake was, if possible, trying even harder than Roman to disappear into the crowd. Too bad for Drake – he stuck out no matter where he went. Then there was Taylor, who Roman found positively mind numbing. Taylor, unfortunately, seemed to be under the impression that she and Roman now had some connection thanks to Drake. It was lunchtime, and he hadn't been able to shake her yet. She had talked nonstop and he had not retained a single word. Fortunately the lunchroom offered respite. No human ever sat at the "Tattie Table". As expected, Taylor slipped away to join her posse.

"What's up with Blondie?" Teri asked as Roman dropped into the seat next to her. "I think she feels bad for you or something."

"Well, I don't need her help. I'm miserable just fine without her," Roman joked. Despite himself, he looked around to find Emery. He always did. It was some sort of perverse self-torture. She was sitting two tables over, with Grayson ...and Eric. Lukas and Julia had made the same discovery, apparently – Roman caught them heading toward Emery's table, and stopping abruptly at the sight of the Redhawk. Julia frowned at Lukas, and they headed to an empty table near the windows.

These were the moments Roman hated, and it felt like they had grown exponentially lately. There were the things he wanted to do, wanted to say… and then there was the ever-growing list of rules he had imposed on himself to protect those around him. He closed his eyes briefly and fantasized about leaping across the tables, grabbing Eric and Grayson and throwing them both through the window over Julia and Lucas' head in one swift movement. The problem was, he really _could_. Atrians matured faster than humans, so he had bulk neither of them could match. Roman opened his eyes, unclenched his fists (when had he first clenched them, anyway? Just now? Earlier this morning? The night Gloria had confessed her affair and shattered his universe?), and happened to glance at Teri. She was staring _into _him in a way that made him nervous.

He cleared his throat. "I told Sophia I wasn't feeling well this morning but she didn't believe me," he offered. Teri narrowed her eyes.

"No problem. Being a member of the healing clan does have its benefits. Come over after school and we'll take care of it." Every word Teri said was generous and kind… but it was meant as a challenge. She was going to press matters until she found out something, so Roman announced he wasn't hungry and cleared his tray.

Roman didn't register the figure leaning against his locker at first. He was a few feet away when Julia's perky "Hi Roman!" notified him of her presence.

"Hey," he responded. "What's up?"

"Lukas and I have a problem. And actually, it's kind of your problem, too," Julia launched in. "His name is Eric. And he's a complete jerk, but the problem with Emery is that she's always willing to like everybody, even people who don't deserve it. And this is coming from somebody who likes _every-_body," Julia added, pointing at herself but not stopping for air, "So, what are we going to do?"

Roman leaned against his locker and looked up at the ceiling. "Julia, I think I've pretty much used up all my 'helping people' reserves for the rest of this year. So I'm afraid I don't have a solution for you. I can just barely help myself these days," he added.

Julia deflated. "Oh." She was quiet for a moment.

"Is it something I could help - "

"No!" Roman cut her off. "Sorry no. It's just private stuff. Family stuff. I'll be fine in a day or two. Now, I'm sorry but I do need to get ready for class."

Julia had turned to walk away, and so almost didn't hear Roman ask in a choked whisper, "Is she - is she happy?"


	4. Chapter 4

Julia whirled back, before Roman had a chance to replace the stoic mask he always wore.

For just a moment she was looking into the eyes of a terrified, injured little boy who had lost his way, a six-year-old Roman searching for some moment of kindness the way a drowning man grabs at every piece of flotsam or jetsam no matter the size. It both broke Julia's heart and filled her with protective love. She wanted to grab that little boy up in a big hug, nurture him and read him bedtime stories and prove to him that the world was a beautiful place.

A second later it was like nothing had happened. Roman looked like … well, like Roman again. Big, hunky, save the world Roman. But now that Julia knew the truth, she vowed to herself that she would be his ally – even if he thought he didn't need one.

"The thing about Emery is, she was in the hospital with me for so long… in some ways, she's still learning how to be alive. There are so many experiences she's never had," Julia said gently.

"Right," Roman sighed and headed down the hall toward their next class. Julia walked with him in silence, waiting.

"It was different before. Easier, when she wasn't with someone… I'm trying to do the right thing here, to step aside if that could give her a chance to be happy. I have to be realistic. At this point it seems less and less likely that humans and Atrians will ever be able to co-exist peacefully."

"Well… you and I do," Julia pointed out, "And you and Lukas have gotten pretty tight… Plus, there's _so much_ sexual tension between the Atrian Seven and all of Edendale High… it's going to overflow eventually, it's just a question of who and when. But I guess that doesn't matter – once that floodgate has opened, you'll be free to be go to Emery, right?"

Roman smiled humorlessly. So, if the world knew the secret he carried on Drake's behalf, it could pave the way for him to be with Emery. Sure, Drake would be killed as a race traitor by Vega and her crazies as a result, but still…

They walked into class together, lost in their private universes.


	5. Chapter 5

Drake knew the others were wondering where he was. Let them wonder. He had figured out Taylor's schedule. On Tuesdays and Thursdays she did yoga after school, which meant that on Tuesdays and Thursdays Drake could be found hanging out near the girls locker room. Taylor in yoga pants was worth it. This time, however, he forgot to be as careful as usual, and she caught him staring. She smiled and winked at him as she walked into the gym, and Drake very nearly followed her in like a lovesick puppy.

He slid both hands over his short hair, frustrated by the idea of her body so tantalizingly close… And terrified that Zoe would see him; see that even now, after her warnings and threats, he still couldn't leave well enough alone. At least before, he'd had an excuse. Now that he knew Taylor was human, he wanted her even more. He felt like he'd been seduced under false pretenses; he deserved a do-over. Probably more than one, just to be sure.

Drake was just about to leave when the gym door creaked open and Taylor slipped out into the hallway. She glanced around quickly, grabbed Drake's hand, and pulled him into the nearby janitor's closet. He locked the door behind them with one hand and grabbed Taylor's waist with the other. Taylor might never learn what really happened between him and Zoe, but she no longer cared. She had been watching him carefully, and nobody had ever looked at her with as much hunger as Drake.

Their ferocious desire made them both clumsy as they ripped at clothing, trying to help each other undress in the dark. Taylor's mouth found Drake's ear and she kissed it lightly, sending a shiver down his spine. She laughed giddily and licked his throat, and then fell back in surprise as Drake's markings glowed blue.

Drake watched her cautiously. By the faint light of his own skin, he saw Taylor grin devilishly as she purred, "Ohhh, this is going to be so, _sooo_ much fun!"


	6. Chapter 6

Sophia and Roman were sitting opposite Julia and Lukas when Emery walked in to the Mud Bug and hesitated at the door, looking around. She caught Roman's gaze, smiled broadly and turned toward their table. Roman's breath caught in his throat. Their booth had two spaces left – one next to Julia, the other beside him. Julia, realizing this at the same time as Roman, casually slung her purse down, blocking the rest of her bench. Roman glared at her for a moment, although he was secretly glad for the help. When he looked back up, he noticed that Grayson was there, too. _Ah. How perfect. Now I have to pretend I _don't_ want to rip off his smug lips and feed them back to him, all while he's two feet away from me_.

There was a short, awkward shuffle as everyone tried to find a safe seating arrangement. It was followed by a short, awkward silence, then a short, awkward period where everyone tried to speak at once. Finally, Roman muttered, "Well, I think I'm going to step outside for a moment." He had to wait while first Grayson, then Lukas slid out to free him from his corner seat. He was nearly out the door when a beautiful laugh, clear as a brass bell, broke through the noise of the crowded hangout. Roman looked back to see Emery still giggling at one of Lukas' jokes. Intense isolation swept over him as he watched his sister laugh along with her new human friends. Roman pushed out the door and found a quiet seat outside, away from the gangs of teenagers draped casually across picnic tables in the humid Louisiana evening. He sat on the table, feet propped up on the bench, and looked out at the bayou.

"Mind if I join you?" Emery asked from behind him.

"Uh… nope, that's fine," Roman answered. He slid over to make more room, and tried not to react when Emery put her hand on the back of his neck to steady herself as she sat down. It seemed to Roman that her hand lingered there longer than was strictly necessary. They watched the deepening sky together, enjoying the shifting shadows through the mossy branches of the ancient trees. It was Roman who broke the silence.

"I think my mother is having an affair with my uncle."

Emery looked at him, confused. "But… Roman… Is that so bad? It seems kind of soon, I admit, but doesn't she deserve to find happiness in whatever form she can?"

He tried to explain. "It's – for us, for our culture, marriage unites two families in a different way. When my parents were married, my uncle Castor _became_ my mother's brother. There's this whole portion of the ceremony that is dedicated to the change. According to our legends, when our world was new there was too much conflict. By tying families together through love _and_ blood for one generation, we stemmed the tide of all-out war." Roman paused and sighed. "I'm doing a bad job of explaining it. But for a man to sleep with his brother's wife – culturally, it's like a form of incest."

Emery took a moment to process this before answering.

"Ok, that does make it sound awful… But, at least you're talking to me," she offered with a tempting smile. Despite himself, Roman grinned back. Emery tilted her head to one side and watched him appraisingly.

"Now _that_ is something you should do more often," she teased him, and then regretted her choice of words as the smile faded again.

"Roman, when we first met – well, I mean, when we first met for the second time – you were funny, and you smiled, and you talked to people. But ever since my dad… well… I just feel like you spend so much time worrying about other people, that you'll end up killing yourself with all the stress." She crossed her legs, and her foot now rested against Roman's calf.

"I don't exactly have the luxury of choosing whether or not to care about my people, Emery," Roman retorted. "My fate is already determined – I _will_ be our _Iksen_ some day, and most likely sooner than I ever imagined. So while it's nice of you to empathize, it doesn't exactly help me solve any problems." Roman turned to face her, entwining his leg in hers without realizing it.

Emery leaned in closer, pressing her hand down on the table between them. "I might not have answers, but I _am_ a really good listener," she offered quietly. Roman was momentarily distracted by the way her lips moved as she formed the words. He blinked and set his hand down to steady himself. They both became painfully aware that they were now sitting inches apart, legs wrapped together, Roman's hand over Emery's, in the dark quiet of the Louisiana evening. Emery's heart started racing – Roman could see the flutter of her pulse quickening at her throat. He bent down, blinded by the desire to kiss her there, to feel her pulse beat against his lips.

An explosion from inside the Mud Bug sent shards of glass flying over their head and knocked them both to the ground.

"Sophia!" Roman gasped as Emery yelled, "Julia!" They scrambled to their feet and together, fought against the rush of terrified teenagers fleeing the restaurant.


	7. Chapter 7

Inside, one section of the hangout was a smoky twisted mess. Roman quickly scanned the debris looking for movement, and found Sophia and Lukas crawling toward Julia. He pointed the friends out to Emery and they ran over to help.

"Mostly just cuts and bruises, guys, I swear!" Julia assured them all. "I've been through way worse than this!" She winced as she spoke, and grabbed at her side. "I also may have broken a rib," she added apologetically.

Emery stood up and looked around, now that she knew Julia would be okay.

"Where's Grayson? Guys – Lukas – where's Grayson?!"

Emery started to panic. She moved toward the bathrooms, thinking maybe he had left the table before the explosion. "Grayson? …Grayson?... Grayson!" she called out hysterically. Everything else faded away - it felt like she was pushing through mud. Tears sprang to her eyes, blurring her vision, and she wiped them away hastily so she could see better. She stumbled and tripped her way through the debris, looking under tables and pulling up pieces of ceiling tile. It was Roman who stopped her before she made it to the men's bathroom.

"Please let me go in first," he whispered gently, his hand on her shoulder. She nodded gratefully and stood perfectly still, willing Roman to find Grayson alive.

Roman returned a minute later and called out to the others to join him. When they arrived Lukas confirmed that Grayson had, indeed, excused himself to the bathroom just before the explosion. Roman nodded his head toward the shattered Emery and raised his eyebrows at Sophia. She wrapped an arm around Emery and together, the best friends headed back to check on Julia. Emergency crews were already pulling up in the parking lot outside.

"We don't have much time. I get the feeling this is going to put a damper on Mud Bug nights for the Atrians for a while," Roman whispered quickly to Lukas. He held out his hand long enough to reveal a note, written in Sondiv.

"Basically, it claims to be from the Trags. It says they've kidnapped Grayson as a declaration of war against the Redhawks. But there's something wrong with the Sondiv," Roman explained in hushed tones, slipping the note into his pocket. "It almost feels like it was written by a child. The grammar is all wrong."

Lukas nodded thoughtfully. "You think it's a fake?"

"I don't know, but I plan to find out," Roman answered grimly.

They let themselves be ushered outside. Sophia and Emery were gathered around a stretcher bearing Julia. Roman pulled up a mental checklist of his people, finding the faces of 4 Atrians in the crowd. With Sophia accounted for, the only one missing was Drake. Roman filed this for later review. He insisted Lukas receive a thorough medical exam but shrugged off one himself, explaining he'd been outside at the time of the explosion. Emery looked up immediately, searching the Atrian's face for information on Grayson.

"I couldn't find him." Her obvious despair was a stab to his heart. He stepped toward her and reached for her elbow. "Emery, it's good news. I didn't find any evidence that he was there at the time of the explosion, either. Maybe he… uh… he…" Roman's voice trailed off as he noticed Drake walking through the parking lot.

"Excuse me a moment," he apologized, and ran after his friend.

"Hey! Drake! Where have you been?" Roman called out. He didn't want to believe Drake – or any Trag – could have been involved in this violence, but now that he thought back on the day, he realized Drake had disappeared right after their last class and not been heard from since.

Drake turned toward Roman's voice; his eyes were glassy with shock as he took in the chaos.

"What?" he asked numbly.

"I asked where you've been. You disappeared hours ago," Roman asked again, more kindly this time.

"I had a, uh, meeting. It ran longer than I expected," Drake lied. He and Taylor had destroyed the janitorial closet, and decided to clean up in the girls locker room after they knew the school was mostly empty. But when Taylor saw Drake's naked body in all its bioluminescent glory under the hot water from the shower, she asked him coyly if he had meant what he said about Atrian endurance. By the time they finally made it out of the school, exhausted but happily satisfied for now, the sun was already setting.

Roman could tell Drake was holding something back, and he had no time for it.

"I need to know you and the Trags weren't involved in this violence," Roman stated plainly, "So I actually _hope_ you were with Taylor. But please be honest with me. People were hurt here. Humans _and_ Atrians," he added, leading Drake past three injured teenagers to a stretcher where their friend Elian was having his arm prepped for a cast.

"Hey, Elian, how bad is it?" Drake asked quietly, grasping the Atrian's good hand. Teri looked up from her position near Elian's head and answered for him.

"Two breaks but they're both clean. He'll heal quickly with the help of our herbs, once he's back in the Sector," Teri stated flatly. She sounded like the fight had been taken out of her for once.

The SEU bus, flanked by police motorcycles, pulled up nearby and the Atrians shuffled aboard, Teri and Sophia supporting Elian between them. Roman watched Emery through the bus window as they pulled away.


	8. Chapter 8

_[Oh holy cow, I am freaking out right now. I don't generally like to interject my own voice, but I swear I did NOT KNOW there were going to be so many similarities to this past Monday's episode! I feel like I have to defend myself… so, just to be clear, I am not in any way affiliated with the show, had no prior knowledge of plot developments, etc. I already have a full story arc developed. It's just a matter of writing it out in my free time. I wrote all the previous chapters before I had any CLUE what would happen in episode 6. _

_I really don't know what to do. Is it worth it to continue? I am fairly certain there won't be so many similarities moving forward. But frankly, while I'll obviously continue to write for myself - I can't just stop something once I've started - I'm not sure there would be enough interest on here at this point for me to continue posting. So I'll go ahead and post this next chapter for now. **If you all want more, please let me know.**]_

Roman dragged himself into the auditorium Friday morning, dreading every encounter with Gloria. At least this time there would be witnesses, so she couldn't surprise him with any other life-changing secrets, like having a half-Atrian love-child or something.

Last night had been like something out of a nightmare. The _Hwatab_ had called an emergency meeting, and told Castor to stop the integration program. They had not signed up Atrian children to see their lives taken from them. "We may be all that is left of our planet," they begged. Castor had listened to them patiently, but surprisingly it was Roman he turned to for a final decision.

"After all," Castor said, gesturing back to the seated elders, "We are not the ones who have to go among them."

Roman had carefully considered his response, then spoken with quiet certainty. "If any of the Atrian 7 feel uncomfortable returning to the school for now, they should not be forced to do so. But to stop the program completely could be viewed by some humans as tacit admission of Atrian involvement in the explosion. It may appear as though we have changed our mind, and are pulling away from my father's dream of Integration."

The _Hwatab_ had smiled at the young man's wisdom, and Castor had sent the announcement out to the rest of the Atrians.

Now, as they waited in the auditorium, Roman looked around with pride at his friends. The Atrian 7 were still the Atrian 7 – not a single one had chosen to stay home.

Gloria stepped to the front of the room without so much as acknowledging Roman. Instead she focused on the rest of the group as she applauded their bravery. There were still too many questions, she explained, and too few answers, so with tensions running higher than usual the SEU bus would return to its original schedule "temporarily", shuttling them all home at the end of the school day. Roman's prediction of the night before had been right.

Gloria dismissed the students with one final warning.

"You are ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen. Ambassadors for integration, of course, but realize that to the citizens of Edendale you also represent your entire race every time you interact with a human. Do NOT mess this up. We are counting on you all, now more than ever. Integration's success rests on your shoulders." She turned and left without a backward glance at her charges.

Throughout the school, homerooms shimmered under the holographic image of the principle, updating the students regarding last night's attack: there were mostly minor injuries; a few students had been taken to the hospital but would be released this evening; a student was reported missing. Grayson's school i.d. photo flashed onto the screen as the principle droned on, asking anyone with information to come forward.

When the Atrians arrived in their homeroom a minute later, the temperature dropped five degrees. Eric and his friends openly accused the Atrians of foul play, hoping Drake and Teri's famous tempers would get the best of them.

Instead, several humans shouted the Redhawks down; being defended by humans felt so foreign that Roman and his friends were caught off-guard.

Drake searched out Taylor to see which side she had chosen and felt a spark of pride when he saw her glaring at Eric. His own response confused him; after all, he and Taylor were just using each other for sex. She was a human. Obviously he felt nothing other than a certain physical compatibility, right? Sure, he admired her tenacity and sense of humor, and yes, it was brave of her to stand up to her own friends. Really, Taylor had many of the qualities his own warrior tribe valued, not least of which was her physical stamina...

The Atrians took their seats once everyone else had settled down. As he passed Taylor's desk, Drake quietly let his fingers slide up her bare arm without slowing his gait or even glancing her way. Her warm supple skin brought back heady memories of their most recent tryst. He sat down behind her and pretended not to notice the way her golden hair cascaded down her back. Mentally he retraced the perfect column of her bare spine with his fingers, just like he had done yesterday in the shower. She had reacted with such pleasure then; he wanted to make her feel that way again, he admitted to himself.

Roman was fighting the same battle he lost every day, and every day hurt more. Emery. His teeth clenched as he watched her mourning a boy Roman couldn't believe deserved her grief. He thought back to the note from last night. He had shared it with Sophia after the meeting with the _Hwatab_ – her Sondiv had always been better than his – and Sophia agreed that while the words were all right, the sentences were all wrong. What made Roman more nervous than the suspicious phrasing, though, was the implication. The only way for anyone to know Grayson had been deliberately kidnapped was if someone found the note… And Roman had thwarted that plan. He would have to find Grayson himself soon, whether he liked it or not, for the safety of his people and for Emery.


	9. Chapter 9

**_[Thank you all for reading. Your feedback is greatly appreciated - in fact, it nourishes me!]_**

Roman stood up slowly, dawdling as he waited for Emery. She always took such care at the end of each class, making sure she had each of her papers in order. She was consistently the last person to leave. As she looked up she caught Roman's eye and smiled briefly. A small page fell from her bundle and fluttered gently to the floor between them. Roman stepped forward to retrieve it, but as he held it out for Emery he cocked his head in confused recognition. He pulled it closer to his own face just as Emery reached out, and she sighed in frustration.

"Roman, may I please have that? It belongs to me," she asked patiently.

"Where did you get this?" Roman responded, still not letting go of the blank sheet of rich, creamy paper.

"It's just paper, Roman," Emery responded with exasperation, "I'm not sure."

"No, look, it's got this, like, writing inside it," Roman pointed out.

"Oh, you mean the watermark?" Emery plucked the sheet from his hand and held it up high, letting light shine through. "See? Expensive paper usually has a watermark, showing the printer's logo or – like this one – the Montroses' crest," she explained. "I guess I must have grabbed it last time I was at … um… Grayson's …" she stopped, her voice betraying her.

Roman wanted nothing more than to envelop her in his arms, and kiss the pain from her face.

"I guess we just don't get the good paper in the Sector," he joked instead. Emery slipped the sheet into her folder and headed out the door. Roman took off for the computer lab, hoping he could catch Lukas before study hall ended.

Lukas and Julia were both there, and Roman paused, torn between sharing his discovery with Julia and keeping her in the dark in order to protect Emery. Lukas caught his eye and ushered him over. When Roman looked questioningly in Julia's direction, Lukas just shrugged.

"Hi, Lukas, I was just hoping I could run a theory past you, but it seems like you're kind of busy," Roman greeted his friend.

"Is it something I could help with?" Julia asked brightly.

"Julia, I think this is a … a guy thing, right Roman?" Lukas interjected quickly.

Julia frowned. "Lukas, if you think that would ever deter me, you're crazy. Spill it."

Roman had figured out a while ago that Julia was a good person, and at least as trustworthy as Lukas…. and also incredibly stubborn. He decided to give in and save himself a headache.

"Ok, but first: I need you to promise you'll help me keep Emery safe, Julia, which means keeping this away from her for now," Roman started. Once she nodded, he continued, "Lukas and I found something the night of the explosion. It's … possible Grayson was kidnapped." He pulled out the note for both humans to examine. Julia's eyes opened wide and she grabbed it out of Roman's hand, peering intently at it. Since she was so pre-occupied with the note, Roman turned his attention back to Lukas. In hushed tones, he started to explain what had just happened at the end of homeroom –

"This is from Grayson's house," Julia called out. She turned back to them both, her brow furrowed. "Is this some kind of sick joke? This paper came from Grayson's family. See? There's the Montrose crest in the watermark." She held the paper up high, just as Emery had.

"Wait, does everyone know about this watermark thing?" Roman asked in exasperation. Lukas and Julia threw each other a Look.

"Okay, fine, whatever. Why is the kidnapper's note written on Montrose paper? There's no way an Atrian could have gotten access to this," Roman complained. "The Sondiv is poorly written, too. I don't like this at all. It feels wrong."

Julia was biting her cheek and pacing. Lukas cocked his head at his friend's erratic behavior. "Julia?" he asked gently. "What's going on?"

"Oh God, this is going to suck. But I think it's important that you know. But I'm not really the one that should tell you. But - _ugh_, - this is going to _suuuuck_ for all of us," Julia muttered frantically. She clenched her fists and stopped pacing, took a deep breath and faced Roman directly.

"Oh, Roman, Grayson's parents are the leaders of the Redhawks!" She kept speaking but Roman's eyes and ears had stopped working. He leaned heavily against Lukas' table and tried to process this news. There were too many questions: was Grayson a Redhwak too? Why was Emery hanging out with these people? Why hadn't she told him? It was so overwhelming, and there was no time. Slowly, the world around him came back into focus and he caught the tail end of Julia's question. "… uld have faked their son's kidnapping, and tried to pin it on Atrians to start a war?"

"Do you think that's really possible?" Roman interjected. It sounded sick, even for Redhawks, but Lukas chimed in.

"I'm absolutely _sure_ the Redhawks would do something like this if it meant people would take revenge on Atrians," he asserted. He looked disgusted, as well. "So now what? Press conference? Go to the police? What?"

"No." Roman had a different plan. "This is all just theory. Besides, if we were going to go public, the time for that would have been last night, when we fond the note. Now it would just look suspicious if I magically showed up with a note pointing at the Redhawks through the Trags. No," he declared, "This is on me."

"You mean _us_," Julia corrected. Lukas smiled his most charming smile, and Roman shook his head in resignation.

"Just… promise me that Emery will be kept out of this, though," he warned them both.


	10. Chapter 10

**_[Alright gang, I know you've been impatient for Draylor - I have been working hard on this one, so I hope it satisfies! Please share your thoughts.]_**

Drake looked carefully for spying eyes before he slipped cautiously into the chemistry lab as the other students headed to the cafeteria for lunch. He did not want to draw undue attention to his location, in case the wrong people heard about his sudden (and out-of-character) interest in science.

Especially if they realized it was not chemistry he was thinking about at all, but biology.

He called her name softly as he opened the door to the chemistry closet, trying not to let his own anticipation get the better of him. It seemed unfair that the only one who had ever been able to match him sexually was this wisp of a human girl. He rounded a set of shelves and found her waiting with a flirty smile. Her bright eyes were so inviting, he felt the corners of his mouth curl up despite himself. Taylor's smile broadened and she stepped into his embrace, her mouth rising to meet his gently.

Drake felt himself reacting to Taylor the way he always did. His body betrayed him yet again; he had come here to tell her it was over, and instead he was lifting her effortlessly in the air as she slipped her legs around his waist.

"No!" Drake stopped, pulling back. "Taylor, no." She looked first surprised, then hurt, and despite himself Drake kissed her lightly on the nose. He set her down and walked away, trying to calm down.

"Look… What _is_ this, exactly?" he finally asked. He wouldn't face her; there was no way he could keep his dignity if he did.

Taylor laughed in understanding. She was not going to let him do it this way; he wasn't about to end things with her and not even look her in the eye. If she had her way, he wouldn't be ending it at all. She reached out and gently entwined her fingers in his, pulling him around to face her.

"For now, it's whatever you need it to be," she answered with quiet confidence. Taylor knew her own assets well; she tilted her face toward Drake, letting her dark eyes peek up at him through thick lashes. He sighed and cupped her face in one large hand, trying to understand exactly what he needed "it" to be.

"My life isn't simple," he tried again, speaking with urgency as he stared down at her. "There are so many things I can't talk about… things I can't talk to _anyone_ about. If you weren't a human, it would be different, but how could we _ever_ work, out there?" he asked her painfully. Taylor had not expected this much honesty. She knew she needed to be honest, too. It might be her only chance.

"People make a lot of assumptions about me, and a lot of them are wrong," she began. "They think I'm cold and unfeeling, but when you have parents like mine, you learn to develop a thick shell. It's good protection against being hurt." Drake leaned in closer, despite himself. He hadn't expected this. "You know, I haven't let myself cry since I was 12 years old, can you believe that? …But …I'd really like to try letting someone in… if you think you can handle it," she murmured. This time, it was Taylor who turned away.

She hadn't meant to reveal quite that much, but his face as she spoke was so sincere, so open and inviting. "If not, just tell me. I'm fine with us just having sex, though, too - either way," she added, turning back to him with a brittle smile.

Drake said nothing at first; he just stared sadly at her. "Taylor, you deserve so much better than just sex," he finally growled before wrapping his arms around her protectively. "We'll find a way to make it work," he promised her quietly as he rested his chin atop her head. Her lips were slightly parted, allowing her warm breath to float gently over his collarbone. Drake slid his fingers along a stray lock of her hair, twisting it absentmindedly around his fingers as he wondered how they had ended up like this.

The human Queen Bee and the Atrian bad boy – two lost souls in an ocean of misunderstanding, ignorance, and fear – held each other tightly, each surprised at the prospect of rescue coming in this unlikely form.


	11. Chapter 11

_**[So I have one more chapter for tonight, since I will have SO much to post before Monday... I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know your thoughts; ******__I can't really tell what works for y'all, I just know what I like._]

Julia would pay for this dearly. She had sworn on her own life that Emery would not find out about the search for Grayson. That was this morning. Now, minutes before last period, Emery was waiting at Roman's locker, her jaw set hard in anger and determination.

"You…" she couldn't finish. She shook her head at herself, and tried again. "I had a speech worked out," she started, "But I'm so _angry_ I can't even remember it."

Roman stepped back. For something so frail, she was surprisingly capable of striking fear in others when necessary. He held up his hands, trying to think of how to explain himself without making everything worse, but Emery had come with a mission and she wasn't leaving him alone until she'd had her say. She pushed him into an empty classroom nearby and leaned against the door to ensure they had privacy.

"If you had _any_ suspicion that Grayson might be somewhere safe, or _any_ suspicion that his parents might be involved, why wouldn't you just tell me?" she hissed. Her sense of betrayal was etched plainly on every feature.

"Me?!" Roman was frustrated, and Emery's anger finally gave him permission to reciprocate. He stepped toward her, inside her personal space, without noticing. "What about you! Your… _boyfriend_-" he nearly spat the hated word, "-has Redhawk parents. And you knew that, and it never even slowed you down, did it? You have been spending _so much_ time with him, laughing, holding hands, _kissing_ him," now that he had started, Roman couldn't check the torrent of emotion, "- and I have tried to be the better man, Emery, to step back and let you have that chance at happiness, honestly I have, because you deserve _every_ happiness the world can give you - but not with him. I beg of you - just please: _Not. With. Him_." His voice crackled with unrestrained jealousy, and he turned away so she wouldn't see more.

"And now _I_ have to go find him and bring him back to you, to stop out-and-out war between our people," he finished dejectedly. He knew he had crossed a line with her, and hated himself for it.

Emery's features softened behind his back. She reached out and grabbed his elbow lightly, and her brow furrowed when he shuddered at her touch. But he turned around, which was a good start. She searched his face for a better understanding of what he had just shared.

"I can't figure you out," she finally admitted. "That night in the cyper garden, I really believed I'd magically found the little boy I'd grieved over for 10 years. But then you were so cold and distant… So explain to me, why is our star hanging in your bedroom?" Roman flinched at the image of finding Emery and Grayson inside his pod, touching his things. "Making that star with you, it's a memory I'll hold in my heart forever," Emery continued, "and when I saw it, I thought maybe it meant something more to you, too. But - you were so mean when I tried to help Sophia join the swim team," Emery sighed and was silent for several beats. "Look. Can we just stop playing games, please? I don't think I'm very good at them."

"Please try to understand, I don't know where any of this will lead. This thing with Grayson - it involves both the Redhawks and the Trags, and _both_ groups have proven they're willing to use violence. I can't guarantee your safety -" he started, but Emery cut him off. Now that they were actually talking, she wasn't going to lose this opportunity.

"Really, Roman, that's getting pretty old. I am more than capable of taking care of myself," she assured him. Her eyes sparked and the color rose in her cheeks as she warmed to the topic. Roman paced and listened as she complained about his overprotective attitude toward Sophia, about how he kept too much locked inside and refused to seek help from those who wanted to help him, about how she was getting tired of being treated like a three-year-old… finally he'd had enough.

He thought of his people, living a half-life for ten years behind gates and barbed wire; his father, killed while trying to protect the lowliest of Atrians; his mother, taking her dead husband's untrustworthy brother as a lover; his sister, nearly lost to him forever because of a hate-fueled prank.

"I don't _want_ to do any of those things you're describing. But try to understand - I have lost _so much_ already; I honestly don't think I could survive any more."

She stared right at him, unwavering in her conviction. "That excuse is not good enough anymore," she averred. "Trust me. I spent four years in the hospital, watching people lose their loved ones _over, _and _over,_ and _over_ again. I've seen people grasp at straws just like you, I've seen people try to control everything else in their life just like you, all because the one thing they couldn't control was death. It doesn't scare me, Roman. I've quite literally been through Hell, and I'm still here." She stepped forward. "So either we work to find Grayson as partners, or I have to let you go," she offered quietly. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. "Because I can't keep waiting for you to decide how you really feel about me, and I won't let myself be someone's prize."


	12. Chapter 12

Drake walked up the bus steps and stopped short. He rolled his eyes at Teri and slammed down into a seat as far away from her as possible. It didn't matter – the bus was otherwise empty, and Teri switched her seat quickly.

"Teri, I don't feel like talking right now, okay?"

"Too bad," she smirked. "What's going on with you and that human, Taylor? It seems a little… unorthodox, you know, a Trag spending so much time with one of those monkeys."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Teri. Drop it."

Teri laughed mirthlessly. "Ri-ight. I can see right through your sad little lies, Drake. I used to think you were so great. Right now, you just seem pathetic. So let me tell you what I think, and then you can try to lie about it."

Drake bowed his head. He knew this would not end well. Teri had gotten so much crueler in the past few weeks, ever since Roman had rebuffed her most recent advances. She seemed to be taking her sexual frustration out on everyone.

"I think you and your little human _slut _are disgracing everything our people are fighting for," Teri announced. "If you can't keep it in your pants, that's fine – but at least keep it in the Sector! You're embarrassing yourself. And besides, when my mother finds out… she'll kill that little bitch," she finished nonchalantly, leaning back and crossing her arms in smug satisfaction.

Drake could kill her. He could kill her right now, easily, and then she would never be able to tell anyone about Taylor. They'd both be safe then.

Sophia bounced up the steps and smiled her bright, sweet smile. "Hi guys! Ready for the weekend?" She sat opposite them and only then did she seem to register the tension between her two friends. "What'd I miss?" she asked, glancing from one to the other.

…

As soon as the bus stopped behind the Sector gates, Drake was bounding down the stairs and racing for Vega's pod. Luckily for him, Teri and Sophia had been mid-conversation when they arrived, so she couldn't slip away without appearing rude. He had to beat Teri to the punch. It was his only chance at survival.

Just before he rounded the final corner Drake pulled himself up straight, smoothed his shirt, and slipped on a carefree smile. He stepped out into the path and walked calmly to the Trag leader's front door.

She was inside, brewing a cup of tea. He hadn't expected that. Vega was always so aggressive in her dealings with the outside world, Drake had never considered that she did mundane things like eat, sleep, drink tea.

"Drake," Vega smiled, her voice like liquid gold as she invited him for a cup, "Is everything okay with my most promising young soldier?" She floated over to the table and set the tea down, then patted the table invitingly. All Teri's strength, grace, and beauty had come from her mother – the only difference was that Vega had years of practice using these to her advantage.

Drake sat down across from her, trying to appear casual but aware that he had very little time. He had come up with a plan on the ride home from school, and now he would have to rely on his powers of persuasion to make it work.

"Vega, I need you to kick me out of the Trags," he began, pretending to feel pain at the sentence.

"What - No! There's only _one _way anyone leaves the Trags, Drake, you know that," Vega responded instantly. She was confused and disoriented by his statement, which Drake needed her to be, or this would never work.

"Believe me, I don't want to leave. But it's – it's for Teri," he whispered conspiratorially. He looked around as if expecting spies at any moment, and shifted his chair an inch closer to Vega's. "She's one of my best friends. And I can't stand to see her hurting," Drake continued. He dropped his eyes to the ground for a moment, then glanced up at Vega and curled the edges of his soft lips up in his most charming smile. He had experienced first-hand the power of this move. Staring at Taylor all day might just end up saving both their asses.

"Your daughter thinks you care... _too_ strongly for me," he hinted. He was looking into her face intently now, and was not disappointed – she started a little and blinked heavily to break the spell of his deep green eyes. Drake stayed right with her, though; he knew Vega had spent a few too many nights alone recently. If she was willing to admit to herself that the young Atrian warrior attracted her, the guilt would do half his work for him.

"She made me promise never to tell you. She can't stand the thought of being a disappointment to you, and if she sees me as her competition for your favor…." He tilted his head to the side, not letting Vega's focus slide off his face, which he now creased gently with worry. This was the most dangerous play of the game, and he knew it could go sideways very badly.

"I think she would try to kill me, if she thought it would please you. And as a member of the Vwasak, I would have no choice but to defend myself from such an attack… which I don't want to do," he left the veiled threat hanging in the air like a curl of smoke, punctuated only by his heavily-muscled arm as he reached confidently past his own cup for the tea nearest Vega, and lifted it to his lips. Vega's eyes widened and despite herself, she chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully.

"So, your proposal instead…?" She finally asked. It was so noncommittal. He had to offer her a perfect out, before Teri burst into the room and ruined everything.

"So... Kick me out. Tell the Trags that the guards have been tailing me because they suspect something, and you had to distance yourself from me for the safety of the group. And for my part, I will crawl back to Roman, our future _Iksen_, like a dog with his tail between his legs," Drake poured every ounce of sincerity into his voice now, "No matter how long it takes, I will soften him to the Trag cause - for you, Vega," Drake promised. He held his breath now. His life, and Taylor's, depended on Vega's next words.

"No... No, Drake. You will do it for all of us, for our _people_," she finally whispered with a smile.

When Teri walked into the pod a few minutes later, Drake was already gone. Vega grabbed her daughter in a strong embrace and stroked her hair gently as she explained why Drake could no longer continue as a Trag. He had not been careful enough, and could have ruined all their work; she had no choice but to put distance between him and the movement. She pointed out that he had barely any experience, anyway, so it was no great loss.

"But, my daughter, I am so proud to have you here, by my side, as we prepare for the coming war. Together, you and I will teach the humans what it means to respect Atrian superiority."

Teri was not sure what to do with a mother who suddenly gave hugs. Her whole childhood, Vega had reminded her that weakness was not a virtue, that weakness was death. She had dismissed tears, and sympathy, and physical embraces as signs of an inherent character flaw. Neither woman had ever heard of the Amazonians, despite the fact that they would have fit in with the tribe perfectly.

Teri had to admit - it did feel really nice to hug her mom. So she smiled and hugged back. She knew Drake had coordinated this somehow – she had watched him race away from the bus earlier – but for now, it did not matter. Her mother was proud of her.


	13. Chapter 13

**_[I have been looking forward to writing this chapter, ever since I decided to continue this story. I love the Drake-Roman bromance, and I hope I've done it justice here.]_**

When Roman arrived at the restaurant where several Atrian teenagers had gathered for a party, Drake was well on his way to being drunk. He laughed heartily to see his friend, and wrapped a heavy arm across Roman's shoulders as he spoke.

"Ro! Roman, come on in! The party can _really _start now!" he joked. He half-led, half-leaned as the two friends moved to the center of the crowded room. Drake pushed a glass into Roman's hand and smiled.

"It's whiskey," he winked. "The waitresses have a secret stash from the restaurant's supplier." He grinned at Roman and for the first time in weeks, Drake seemed more relaxed. He was very free with his smiles – and yet, Roman noticed, he was completely oblivious to the bevy of cute girls who were hanging around him, eyeing him hungrily. Drake never left these parties alone, so something must be on his mind. Roman's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what was going on. He felt the distance between them more acutely now than ever before, and it frustrated him.

As the party-goers spread out – and eventually, paired off into dark quiet corners – Roman and Drake found themselves sitting together in companionable silence on the front stoop of the restaurant. The music inside wafted over them as the two friends watched Atrians and guards wander along the boulevard in front of them. Even the guards seemed more relaxed on Friday nights, more chatty with the open-air vendors. If you could temporarily forget that curfew would be enforced in an hour, then you could almost believe this was nothing but a typical, peaceful evening. Almost.

"I got out, Ro," Drake suddenly confessed. He needed to tell someone, and Roman had always been that person for him. Drake looked sideways at his childhood friend.

"Out… of… the Trags?" Roman was almost afraid to believe it. "That's amazing, but… How? Why?"

"Teri was going to tell her mom about Taylor. Vega would kill Taylor, Roman. I can't let that happen," Drake whispered. His eyes were wet, threatening to spill over. Drinking always made him so emotional.

"Hey buddy, it's okay, she won't. Vega won't get to Taylor," Roman assured Drake as he patted him gingerly on the shoulder. Obviously there was more going on here than Roman knew.

"I know, because I fixed it," Drake smiled suddenly, eager to share his day with Roman. He gave a brief synopsis of his conversation with Vega, and then his brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Roman, what's wrong with me? Why can't I get her out of my head?" Drake complained.

"It's ruining my life! I think about her on the way to school, wondering what she's wearing. Who the Hell cares what she's wearing?! Apparently, I do now! I try to find excuses to walk past her locker. Even if I know she won't be there. I go to sleep at night, and she's in my head, in my dreams… Oh _man_, is she in my dreams. You probably don't want to know. There's this one, where she's wearing a really short dress, I mean, really short, and she bends -"

"Okay wow, I get it!" Roman interjected before "Drunk" Drake could say something to embarrass "Tomorrow" Drake. Roman laughed.

"I think you're falling for her, whether you like it or not," he confided. "And I guess… if she feels the same way about you… well, then how could that be wrong? I mean, sure, maybe she doesn't know _how _she feels right now," Roman continued, drifting slightly off-topic, "But if you think there's a chance that she could actually grow to care for you, then why shouldn't you be allowed to pursue that? Just because she only has one heart, and no markings, and probably is a terrible swimmer? No, that's ridiculo- " Roman stopped himself. Drake was staring at him in slack-jawed wonder.

"It's like you're inside my mind," Drake whispered, eyes slightly unfocused. "You are going to make such a good _Iksen_ one day!" Drake threw his arms around Roman in a bear hug, and nearly flattened his friend. Roman knew what came next… next, Drake would cry. Every time he got drunk on human alcohol, he cried. Eventually the giant Atrian would pass out. In the past Roman and Teri had come up with some pretty ridiculous ways to drag a sleeping Drake home, but Roman would never be able to move Drake by himself. He needed to take care of this now, while Drake could still use his own legs.

"You know what? You and I need to take a walk, buddy," Roman offered.

"Yes. That is a good idea, my _Iksen_. A walk. And I know right where to go," Drake said with drunken conviction. He stood unsteadily, and Roman steadied him. No need to draw the guards' attention.

They headed down the boulevard toward Drake's pod but instead of turning left, Drake kept going.

"Hey, Drake, you're this way," Roman pointed with his thumb.

"Not going home," Drake mumbled. Walking upright was requiring a good deal of Drake's brain power right now, and speech was a luxury. "Going to Taylor," he explained and kept moving.

Roman laughed in disbelief. "Drake, we're in the Sector, we can't get out," he said as slowly and clearly as possible.

"Weeble's friend," Drake smiled and tried to wink. It was uncomfortable to watch, like seeing a car crash in slow motion.

"Drake, I think this is a really bad idea. Let's get some sleep – remember, there's that short dress waiting for you in your dreams, huh? Aren't you looking forward to that?"

"Not good enough anymore." Drake turned and kept going, but he held onto the wall for stability. Roman sighed, because he knew Drake was right. Dreams really _weren't_ good enough anymore. And since he'd lose if he tried to fight Drake, drunk or not, it looked like he was stuck as chaperone.


	14. Chapter 14

Drake had bribed someone, Roman did not want to know who. They were outside the fence, their tracking bracelets de-activated, and the whole of Edendale spread out before them. Both boys knew exactly where they wanted to be.

Roman helped get Drake to Taylor's back yard without being seen, then waited in the shadows as his friend threw stones at a darkened second-story window. He felt like a voyeur, but couldn't look away. Taylor flung open her window in annoyance - but that quickly changed to joy when she saw who it was. She clambered out the window in her pajamas, and slid deftly down the porch roof below. Drake caught her in his arms and they fell back, landing with a soft thud on the lawn; Taylor just laughed and sat up, pressing her hand against Drake's chest as she straddled him.

"I think you're drunk," she teased her suitor softly. Roman was shocked at how brazen this human girl could be; she stripped off her shirt before Roman realized what was happening, pressing her naked breasts against Drake's body as she bent to kiss him hungrily on the mouth. Roman turned away. He had no right to be here; this was clearly their universe. He slid noiselessly through the darkness of the shrubbery, then stopped, wondering where to go now.

As it turned out, Emery's house was just a few blocks from Taylor's. Roman found his way there by thinking back to his first night on Earth and using the dark hulk of the Atrian vessel as a reference point. He found the shed, his first home and refuge on this terrifying new planet, and couldn't resist a peak inside.

To 6-year-old Roman everything inside had been huge and foreign and scary and magical. Now, as he wandered around the space, his brain translated those early memories: a dusty lawn-mower, a workbench with tools, assorted rakes and shovels. Nothing scary (well, unless you were a weed - which, he pondered briefly, must be how humans saw his people's arrival). Nothing magical, either, he discovered. It was all so painfully ordinary.

So then, had he imagined it all? Had his child self created a fantasy in order to escape inside it at the darkest hour? Roman sank down on an overturned bucket and leaned his head against the nearby window. He felt strangely empty. For ten years the memory of this shed had been an internal sanctuary; it had called to him as a beacon whenever the oppression of humans threatened to overwhelm him.

His grief was interrupted by a shaft of light shining through the window. Roman looked up quickly, wondering if it meant he had been discovered… but then he found the source. A light had been turned on in an upstairs room of the Whitehills' house. Roman tilted his head and watched a shadow move against the curtain, then pull the fabric aside and slide open the window sash. He gasped as Emery leaned out and looked up, searching the stars for something he could not see.

All Roman's fear and sadness disappeared in his next exhale as he remembered himself. It was not this place, this dust- and spider-filled wooden box, that had kept him going. It had been her, of course. She was always his sanctuary.

He watched her a moment longer before moving on. He should have at least enough dignity not to resort to stalking her. So then, where to go next? If he was going to be outside the Sector tonight, it seemed like as good a time as any to continue his search for Grayson. He pushed the dark knot in his stomach a little further down, and reminded himself it was all for Emery.

Lukas would help him, Roman decided, and headed toward his friend's house. When he got there he noticed that Lucas' light was already on. Did nobody in this town sleep? Roman wondered as he crept along the wrap-around porch and tapped at the first-floor window. Poor Lukas must have been startled, because he was gripping a baseball bat in one hand when he finally came to the window. He sighed in relief when Roman waved, and pointed at the front door, then disappeared.

"Come on in," he welcomed Roman, bowing formally as he held the door open. "My parents are away on some gross couples' retreat thing, so I have the house to myself this weekend."

In the kitchen, Lukas leaned against the counter and laughed as Roman recounted the details of his evening.

"So wait, Taylor and Drake?" he interjected at one point. "I guess I should have seen that coming. They actually make a cute pair, I'll admit. Terrifying, you know, but cute. So," he added with a frown, "I guess this means the end of the world is really coming… Because the Redhawks are going to be pissed when they find out."

"Lukas, I wish I had time to worry about that," Roman answered. "But for now I have to trust them to take care of themselves. I can't lose this chance to find Grayson. We don't know when the Atrian 7 are going to be allowed back into town."

"Right, no, you're absolutely right," Lukas said. He rubbed his hands together briskly. "Let's call Julia and Emery and see if they can help." Roman glared, but Lukas glared right back. "You have to get over it, Roman. Emery can help. She knows Grayson better than we do." Lukas was right, but that didn't mean Roman had to like it.

Fifteen minutes later, Julia and Emery arrived at the house. Surprise was evident on their faces. "Roman? But how?" Julia asked in disbelief as she rushed forward and gave him a big hug. Roman had never been touched by a human as much as Julia touched him. He felt like he should apologize to Emery.

"Lukas, why didn't you tell us Roman was here?" Emery prodded. She seemed unsure of herself, perhaps because of the liberties she had taken when they last spoke.

"My fault. I don't trust phones," Roman interjected. "It's a force of habit, I guess, since mostly only the Trags have them in the Sector. And since I'm not supposed to be here, I didn't think broadcasting that news over satellites was a good idea."

"Oh, yeah, no, that's… that's actually… smart," Emery stammered into silence. She pressed her lips together and looked down at the ground.

Julia looked from one to the other in exasperation. She tried to catch Lukas' eye but he was bent over his laptop, fiddling with a computer program, avoiding the situation as hard as he could.

"Okay, so at Roman's suggestion I've set up a net around this area, trying to locate Grayson's phone. The problem is, I'm pretty sure the police are monitoring his phone too, and anyone the least bit clever would have destroyed it to prevent this kind of tracking. And so, I am now open to any other ideas. Any at all," he offered.

Roman was pacing between the living room and the kitchen, drumming his fingers against his thigh as he walked. There had to be something…

"I don't know if this helps, but the Montroses have several houses, and if you _really_ think they kidnapped their own son, it seems reasonable they might have him stashed at one," Emery finally blurted out.

"_Several_ houses... I don't understand," Roman said with a blank look.

"They're wealthy, Roman. Wealthy humans often have more than one home," Emery tried to explain. "The Montroses have their place here in town, a timeshare in Florida, plus a little cabin somewhere on the river between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, plus an apartment in the French Quarter." Emery looked up as she got to the end of her list, and realized everyone was staring at her. "I haven't actually _been_ to any of them," she added defensively.

"My people live in shipping boxes," Roman whispered dangerously, "Stacked on top of each other for efficiency. And I have to go rescue some spoiled kid whose parents have so much money, they can just buy as much land as they want?" He turned around and punched the kitchen counter quickly, then turned back.

"I'm sorry, that was rude. I just…" Roman couldn't think of a polite way to end the sentence, so he growled in frustration and shut up.

"...Okay... well, realistically there's no way for us to get to New Orleans or Florida right now; but Em, if you know where the cabin is we could go check that out," Lukas offered brightly, hoping to break through the awkward silence.

"Umm, I kind of do," Emery answered without taking her eyes from Roman. He hated himself for losing his temper in front of her. "Like I said, I've never been there. But Grayson said it's a few miles outside of town, on Owl Valley Road. It has a name, too. Just let me think… Boxwood! That's it. The cabin is called Boxwood." As she spoke, Lukas was pulling up information on the computer.

"Boxwood. Owl Valley Road… Got it! Ha-HAA!" Lukas exclaimed in triumph as a photo came up on the screen. Julia whistled a low whistle, and Roman disappeared angrily through the back door.

It was no cabin. Boxwood was a stately antebellum plantation house, surrounded by manicured gardens.


	15. Chapter 15

**_[Thank you to everyone for your support. 6,000+ views, 1,200+ visitors... I never expected that. As a thank you, and especially for the Draylor fans, here's a mini-chapter to end the night. Please keep the feedback coming - it makes me feel generous!]_**

A passing late-night jogger might have noticed the trail of clothing sprinkled across the lawn. Fortunately the streets were empty, because at the end of the trail that curious person would have discovered two naked teenagers, curled around each other in beautiful, perfect slumber. The fates had been generous in their gifts for these two. One an other-worldly Adonis, the other his very own Aphrodite, together they could bend the world to their formidable will. For now, though, the world would have to wait.

It was Taylor who woke first. She trembled as a breeze blew across her bare flesh, and tried to curl tighter against Drake's warm torso. As she did, she slid her hand gently along his chest and up to his jaw, marveling at the beauty of him. It seemed unfair to her, how pretty he was, especially since it was complemented so well by his strength and self-confidence. Despite herself, she knew she was falling harder than she had ever intended. She gently traced the outline of his full, soft lips and whispered her secret to the night air: "I love you." Then she settled her head back against his shoulder and closed her eyes, not wanting to disturb him.

Drake waited quietly, trying to keep his breathing steady; he couldn't stop a blissful smile, though, as he thought about what he'd just heard. He didn't dare even whisper; he knew she had not meant him to hear. Instead, Drake stared up through the branches overhead and silently replied, "I love you, too."

…

By dawn the couple had re-assembled themselves and made it back to the Sector fence. Drake hesitated. He ran a hand down Taylor's arm, lacing his fingers into hers, and stared through the chain link into his cage. There was a heaviness in his demeanor this morning, a quiet desperation that he could not shake.

"Taylor, I have nothing," He began with a sigh. "I don't even have a home. But with you, I feel… I don't know, I feel… possibilities." He turned to face her and she leaned against him supportively, not saying a word. "But you – you have everything. You can do anything, go anywhere. Why are you wasting time on me?"

Taylor smiled, shining brilliantly at him. "Because," she answered, "You have something I need."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Drake responded with a frown.

"Your heart," she whispered, running her hand over his sculpted chest. Drake smiled and pulled her in close with one arm; nestling his face in her throat, he growled playfully.

"Blondie, don't forget: I have two. And they're both yours."


	16. Chapter 16

"Roman: Emery's gone." It was like flipping on a light switch. Roman was instantly on high alert. He didn't remember falling asleep, but now he discovered he was stretched out on Lukas' sofa, a blanket draped carefully over him. He jumped up and cursed himself for letting his guard down. _One job_, he berated himself. _You had one job._

"Where is she?!"

"I don't know," Julia admitted.

"You find her right now," Roman ordered. His voice was terribly quiet, but underneath it Julia saw real fear. He had sacrificed so much to keep Emery safe, and now...

"I-I-I will. I promise." She turned and grabbed her phone before walking out onto the still-darkened porch. Roman looked around and found Lukas passed out over his laptop. He shook Lukas awake as gently as he could.

"Hey, we have to go. We have to get to that cabin," Roman urged his friend. Lukas wiped at his mouth and stared up at Roman bleary-eyed.

"I think Emery's already headed there," Roman added. "I don't know what to expect, but it seems reasonable to think the Redhawks are protecting the place. We have to hurry."

Julia walked in a second later, and just shook her head. No answer from Emery's phone.

"Okay. Lukas, I need you to get a message to my family. Julia and I will head to the Montroses' cabin. Hopefully we'll find her on the way," Roman ordered. The teens followed his lead instinctively; he radiated authority. Lukas tossed a set of car keys at Julia, announced that he'd be faster on his bike anyway, and sped off across the field behind his house to find Sophia. Roman grabbed the laptop and joined Julia.

In the car Roman stared out the window ahead of him ferociously, willing the car into flight; Julia pursed her lips and floored the accelerator. Halfway to their destination, Roman suddenly leaned forward in excitement. He peered out the window at a distant speck on the flat road before them. As they caught up, Julia yelped with happiness and honked the horn. Emery finally pulled onto the shoulder of the road and Roman leapt out of Lukas' car before it had come to a full stop. In a matter of seconds he was at Emery's door and Julia, despite not being able to hear the words, could see his agitation as he spoke to her through the window. She got out and approached the pair in time to hear the tail end of Emery's response.

" – already _told_ you, I'm perfectly -… _Julia_?" Emery cut herself short and stared in wonder at her friend. "You don't even have a license!"

Julia blushed. It had been so much fun!

"Desperate times," was all she answered, then climbed into the backseat of her friend's car. Emery sighed and looked up at Roman.

"Well, get in." They drove a mile through the gray pre-dawn morning before Emery couldn't contain herself any more.

"Why did you let her drive?" She confronted Roman. "You both could have been killed! She doesn't know what she's doing!"

"She seemed to do just fine," Roman countered defensively. "And I didn't know there were rules about those kinds of things. Nobody told me."

…

They parked in a copse of trees at the end of the driveway, and made their way carefully toward the house. Roman's pleas that Emery stay with the car had fallen on deaf ears… she really was infuriatingly difficult to keep alive.

As they got closer, and still there were no signs of Redhawk activity, Roman felt that dark knot in his stomach rise closer to the surface. If Grayson weren't here, did that mean his suspicions were wrong? Could he have accused the Montroses unfairly?

Emery threw out her arm suddenly, her hand landing on his tight stomach, forcing him back to the moment. She held one finger against her mouth in warning, then gestured toward the mansion. Julia and Roman peered across the foggy lawn and saw it: Grayson Montrose, relaxing on the veranda in a wicker rocking chair, enjoying a cup of coffee, not a guard in sight.


	17. Chapter 17

Lukas wasn't really sure how he would get Roman's message to Sophia. He just had to hope for a miracle… And as he pedaled along the Sector fence, looking for some way in, it appeared he might actually be in luck. The figures of two people, trying hard not to be noticed, appeared from the shadows across the street and headed for the fence. Lukas stopped when he realized it was Taylor and Drake.

_Oh, man. Oh, man!_ He had not expected this. How would they react if they saw him? _…Better not to find out._ But, Drake had to get back inside somehow, and it might be his only shot at getting in to see Sophia. He decided to hang back, for now.

When Drake slipped between two sheets of corrugated metal, Lukas waited a few seconds and then followed suit. His heart was pounding so hard he could hear it echoing inside his head, but for the sake of his friends he moved forward.

There was a space between the outer and inner walls here, just wide enough for Drake to squeeze through sideways. Slender Lukas had much less difficulty maneuvering, so he had to pay attention to Drake's progress in order to stay far enough back. After a minute or two of travel, Drake slipped out through another loose panel – and when Lukas followed suit, he found himself in the back of a storage room within the Sector.

Great. He was in. Now, he just had to find Roman's family before the _wrong_ Atrians discovered his presence.

…

After he got his bearings, Lukas pulled the hood of his sweatshirt as far over his face as possible, and headed for the restaurant near the Wall of the Missing. He could hang out there for a while, he figured, and hopefully find a sympathetic Atrian to help him.

It took almost an hour, but eventually Lukas saw one of the Atrian 7 walk in with a friend.

"Elian!" Lukas stage-whispered. With Elian's information and a hastily-drawn map, Lukas set off for Sophia and Roman's pod. He knocked on the door quietly, and only after did it occur to him that Maia, their mother, could be the one to answer.

His luck, however, seemed to be holding. Sophia came to the door, and after a moment of confusion she pulled him quickly inside.

"What are you doing in the Sector?" She whispered, hoping her mother wouldn't hear.

"Roman asked me to," Lukas whispered back, and Sophia winced.

"Roman," she moaned quietly, "What did he do now?"

"Well, it's kind of complicated, and I don't think I can whisper the whole thing. Is there somewhere we can talk?"

…

The garden was… beautiful. Lukas wished he had a better vocabulary, so he could think of a more fitting word for this oasis floating above the ghetto below. He wandered between the plants, admiring their heady fragrance and delicate colors, until Sophia cleared her throat and brought him back to his task.

In broad strokes Lukas laid out Roman's current predicament. Sophia wanted to chase after him of course, to help if she could – which Roman had predicted. He had warned Lukas that Sophia's life was now in his hands, and that if anything happened to her, it would be Lukas who paid.

"Sophia, I think we have to help Roman by staying here. He needs cover. Someone is bound to wonder where he is, right? It's up to us to provide a solid alibi."

Sophia sighed in frustration and sat down on the edge of a pallet.

"Ever since our father died, he's been _absolutely_ impossible," she confessed. "Dad was protective, sure – I mean, that's his job – but Roman seems to take it all _so personally_. Like he has to prove that he can be as good as Dad was, even though he's still young."

Lukas sank down next to her. Despite himself, Lukas couldn't help being attracted to Sophia even now. He was tempted to reach for her.

"I think Roman is doing a pretty amazing job, actually," he murmured. "Imagine what kind of pressure he's under, to carry on your father's fight, even while the Trags threaten to tear your community in half - and the Redhawks can't wait to chew over the remains like a pack of hyenas. I think he's going to be a great _Iksen_ one day… he just has to survive until then."

Sophia smiled sadly.

"I think so, too… but he takes _all_ of it on himself. It's like he's forgotten that our father's greatest strength was really his ability to create teams, to work with people and empower them."

Lukas had no answer for that.

They watched the sun rise together. Lukas could feel Sophia's eyes on him, try as he might to avoid it. Finally he exhaled loudly and smiled as charmingly as possible. It was time to address the gorilla in the room. Or – well, on the roof, actually.

"Sophia, please stop looking at me like that. I know you feel bad for me, but I'm fine! I swear. But… do _you_ want to talk about it? Would that make _you_ feel better?"

Sophia blushed. She _did_ feel bad about rejecting Lukas, but didn't know how to broach the subject.

"For the record, my aunt and her wife have been married for years and it's not even a big deal. Like, maybe people cared about that stuff 20 years ago but you don't have to worry anymore," Lukas added gallantly.

"Thank you Lukas, that's sweet. Old-fashioned, but sweet." She smiled and her nose crinkled attractively. "Atrians have always welcomed and embraced different sexualities." Her comment broke the ice between them, and Lukas laughed at Sophia's frankness.

"Cheers Sophia, for reminding me that we humans still have a loooong way to go!"


	18. Chapter 18

Despite Julia's protests, Emery and Roman were adamant. They needed someone to act as lookout; Julia would call Emery if there was a problem. It took a firm reminder from Roman that Julia was eternally indebted to him before she finally acquiesced, "under protest" as she put it, and leaned against a stately tree to "miss all the fun".

As they crept toward the house, Roman asked Emery just what about this whole mess was "fun", exactly?

"That's just Julia. She was almost literally trapped for years in her hospital bed; she read a lot of Nancy Drew books, you know?" Roman's face betrayed his ignorance. "Um, they're mysteries, about a teenager who solves crimes in her free time."

"And now Julia wants to be a crime-solving teenager?"

"Well… sort of. I think she just wants to experience life as fully as possible," Emery defended her friend.

"Interesting. She said the same thing about you," Roman responded before holding up a finger to silence Emery as they reached a sheltered side of the building. He listened carefully, then without thinking grasped her hand and together, they quietly mounted the stairs of the veranda and crept around the corner toward Grayson.

…

He had just stood up to enter the house when he saw the pair coming around the corner, still holding hands although neither was really aware of it. Grayson, however, could see little else.

"Well, I guess I should have figured, Roman," Grayson called out with a wry half-smile. Emery stepped forward, finally releasing Roman's hand, but Grayson flinched away from her.

"Don't, please. Just don't even pretend," he said in disgust.

Emery paused, surprised by this response. Grayson had never been anything other than kind to her; why was he suddenly so cold?

"Grayson, it's okay. You can come back now," she tried to explain soothingly.

"She doesn't get it, does she?" Grayson posed the question to Roman, who still hung back. This was between the humans, for now.

Emery tried again. "Grayson, whatever happened, whatever you may have done… it doesn't matter. We can work it out."

"No, Em, we can't. Not anymore" Grayson looked down at her, his eyes full of pity where once had been adoration.

"Nothing is _ever_ as simple as you always want so desperately to make it, Emery." Grayson started pacing, warming to his topic. "Before you, my life was pretty good. I had loving parents, we got along better than most families. We were a family rooted in our values - pulled closer together after my brother's death. Then _you_ showed up at school, and for _you_, Emery Whitehill, I was willing to throw all of that away! Because I _believed_ you, believed you cared about me. I thought, here's the girl that will take my life from 'good' to 'amazing'. So… I told my parents I couldn't go along with their plans any more. It was ugly, as I'm sure you can imagine." Grayson looked behind Emery at Roman once more. "I assume she's told you who my parents are, so there's no point hiding it," he added with a dismissive shrug.

"_Please_, Grayson! Look at me, please let me help -" but Grayson was past the point of discussion. He turned on Emery, and his anger propelled them both to the edge of the veranda. Emery grabbed at the railing and cowered under Grayson's righteous fury. "You can't help me, Em. That's the mistake I made, too."

Roman watched Grayson's movements carefully, looking for an opportunity to take him down before he could hurt Emery.

"When my parents proposed the idea of a fake kidnapping to frame the Atrians, I wasn't going to do it," Grayson continued, backing down for the moment. "I already had what I wanted, Emery: _I had you_. So - I could be the better man." Grayson glanced back at Roman again, and gave a conspiratorial wink. "No need to kick a guy when he's down, right, Roman? 'To the victor go the spoils,' and all that. But then, on my way to the bathroom that night at the Bug, do you know what I saw when I glanced out the window? Hm?" He looked from one to the other, daring them to answer.

"_You_. The pair of you, sitting under the stars, staring at each other like nobody else had ever even _existed_. You see… in a terrible way _you_ did this, Emery. This is all on _you._ You think of me as a monster right now, don't you?" He paused dramatically, as if expecting a response, then continued.

"I read it all in your face that night. Anyone could have. Pure _love_." Emery looked away, suddenly embarrassed and confused.

Grayson's voice rose in anger. His face was distorted by his rage, his normally beautiful features now a terrible parody of themselves. He glowed with the fury of a man unjustly thwarted. "You will _never _look at me the way you look at him! The way you look at this… _Tattie_!" Grayson turned and spat at Roman, who flinched but did not take the bait. Grayson tried to regain his composure.

"Turns out I wasn't the victor after all. So… I decided to do it. My parents were right. He and his people _don't_ belong here." Tears were streaming down Emery's face, and briefly, regret played across Grayson's features. Then he hardened.

"You love aliens so much? Go live in the Sector then. Because they sure as shit don't belong out here with the rest of us." He turned to walk into the house, and that's when Roman punched him squarely in the jaw.

Grayson went down hard, and came back up unsteadily. Emery stepped between the two of them before the violence could escalate, holding her phone out for both of them to see, even as the tears continued to roll.

"Grayson, it's over. Julia has been listening the whole time, and she recorded everything. Unless you want your whole family to end up in prison, you need to end this now."

…

The ride back to Lukas' car was awkwardly silent. Julia was bouncing around in the back seat, clearly desperate to talk, but unable to decide where to start. She needed to talk to Emery, but not with Roman around. And she _really_ needed to talk to Roman, but not with Emery sitting right there.

Finally she could take it no longer.

"Oh come on, at least tell me what it was like to punch him!" Julia exclaimed.

"No," Roman answered – although in the side mirror, Julia caught him hiding a satisfied grin.

"Well, then, tell me what his cover story is going to be, at least."

Emery's response was terse. "He was blown clear of the blast, but knocked unconscious. When he woke up he didn't remember anything that happened. He was disoriented and went to his family cabin to recover, but didn't have his phone with him so he never even knew he had been reported missing."

Inside, Emery was much less calm. It felt like Grayson had flayed her open, exposing her to Roman in the most private way. She had so much to process, and all she could think about right now was Roman's proximity. He smelled of the cyper garden, of lavender and vanilla and something richer, earthier. Her hand still remembered the warm curve of his abdomen through his thin t-shirt, and she pressed it into her thigh, trying not to think about how much she wanted to touch him again. She sighed lightly, hoping he wouldn't notice her frustration; but he did, and he turned to look at her with his head cocked to one side endearingly. His blue eyes – she wondered if they were the same blue as the lagoons on his native planet – tried to read her face, and she looked intently at the road ahead, praying her face did not reveal too much.

They got to Lukas' car and Julia hopped out quickly, then leaned against Roman's door, trapping him inside, as she spoke through the open window.

"So, I'll just follow you, Emery, don't worry," she smirked and disappeared.

Roman knew what he had to do.

"I'll go with her," he volunteered.

"Why?" Emery challenged. "Do you know how to drive?"

"…Uh... No…"

"So what would you do, besides distract her?"

"…. I don't know, I just thought -"

"I think we need to talk, privately, don't you?" Emery whispered.

Roman's hearts raced. A car seemed like a strange place for this kind of conversation, but maybe he had missed something about human culture. They did seem to spend a lot of time in them. As the vehicle merged back onto the highway, Roman turned toward Emery awkwardly.

"Emery, you need to know, I -"

"Please," Emery stopped him. She seemed sad. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you continue." She kept her eyes on the road as she spoke.

"Roman, when we get back to Edendale, I have to help sell the story."

He didn't understand what she meant at first.

"Everyone knows Grayson and I have been dating. If he suddenly reappears, and I am not there to support him, how would that look?"

Roman felt hot knives dig under his fingernails as her words sank in, but he said nothing.

"So I have to appear happy for his return, and play the part - at least for a while. And I'm worried that if we say anything now, it will just end up hurting both of us too much." She looked at him now, and he saw her eyes filling with tears for the second time this morning. Without thinking, he reached up to brush them away; she stopped him with a quick shake of her head.

Roman leaned back and closed his eyes in resignation. This would have to be Emery's battle, and for once, he wouldn't be able to fight it for her.

Would this Hell never end for him?

"You're right. For now."

"Thank you for being so understanding," she whispered. "I have no right to expect you to be so generous. And… Roman… I'm so sorry."


	19. Chapter 19

_**[Okay. I have gone back and edited Chapter 18 - it wasn't polished enough - and held you all at bay for too long. I mentioned to a few of you that the good ship Draylor is headed for important ports. Well, thank you for your patience! I hope this will give you a taste. And I must add - I've discovered in this venture that I am a feedback junkie - the more you write, the more I write... Just saying'...]**_

Drake needed his mother, ached for his mother. It was too much, to be expected to deal with this alone. His father had tried, for the first year or two, to be a supportive parent to his motherless son… but he was just too consumed by his own loss. Drake had turned to Nox and Maia, spending hours in their pod, soaking up the love and attention of Roman's parents. Meanwhile his own father sank deeper into depression, himself turning to the emotion-numbing effects of _dovor_ as solace.

But now, with his life in such turmoil, who could Drake turn to? His surrogate father was dead, his biological father a wasted shell of a man. Maia was still grieving the loss of her husband – she was not an option right now. There were no adults in his life that could provide Drake the compass he so desperately needed. He had hoped Vega and the Trags would fill the void, but now that he had gotten himself out, he was starting to think they were all just as lost as he.

So, without much else to do on a Saturday, Drake wandered the streets of the Sector looking for trouble. Taylor was on his mind, but it was hollow if she couldn't actually be with him. He remembered telling Roman that dreams of Taylor could no longer suffice, although he couldn't quite remember the context. He tried to think back to last night, but kept bumping up against the softness of Taylor's skin as they had made love under the stars.

Ahead, Drake saw a little girl playing in the street with an old doll. He usually ignored the children – they were just small, annoying versions of their parents, mostly – but this one caught his eye. She had long wavy blonde hair pulled back in a loose braid, and her markings cut a pretty, delicate ribbon from her left cheek, across her throat, and over her right collarbone. He stopped to watch her for a few minutes, and when two older boys approached her and stole her doll, he almost stepped in.

_Better not_, he thought, _they're probably just her brothers, giving her a hard time_. Nevertheless, he hung around - just in case. One of the boys laughed and pretended to play with the doll for a moment, before tossing it to his partner. The second boy was less gentle. He threw the doll down and was about to stomp on it when he found himself hanging three feet off the ground, held up by the scariest Atrian he'd seen all day.

Drake stared at the child dangling in his hand. Up close, it was even more obvious he was a little bully by nature. Drake knew the signs well enough – the hunting eyes, looking for a potential weakness to exploit, were a dead giveaway.

"Woof," Drake barked at him softly, then set him down and watched in satisfaction as the child ran away without looking back

"Are you okay, honey?" Drake asked the little girl. She stared up at him mutely. "Where are your parents?" he tried again, squatting down. Still no answer.

"She doesn't speak," offered the woman who sold lighters off a blanket on the sidewalk. Drake straightened his shoulders and asked who she belonged to.

"I don't know," the woman admitted. "She showed up here a few days ago, and hasn't left since."

"That's not possible," Drake argued. "She has to have parents looking for her. Or at least someone who cares."

The woman laughed. "You think we are all as lucky as you, warrior? We do our best to take care of our people, but it happens sometimes: parents die, are arrested and sent to the Crates, or just can't find a way to care for their children any more. It just happens." She shrugged and turned to help a customer.

"But that can't be the end of it!" Drake tried to stop himself from shouting. It was not his problem, this child belonged to someone else, and he did not need to draw the attention of the street crowd that had begun to gather.

"You know what? Screw this," he muttered and scooped the unresisting child up in his arms. He handed her doll back and asked her if she was hungry, then, when she nodded, promised to buy her a meal at a great place he knew. "And then we'll find out who you are," he growled.

He knew it was Taylor's hair that had drawn him to this tiny child – blonde Atrians were not unheard of, but they were rare enough that an air of the exotic hung about each one. It made the mystery of this child's identity all the more perplexing. She _must_ be adored by someone, somewhere. In the pit of his stomach, though, Drake suspected her story might more closely resemble his own.


	20. Chapter 20

**_[I'm sorry for the delay in posting. The real world got in the way.]_**

Sophia lay along the edge of the rooftop cyper bed, staring into the sunset; Lukas sat on the ground by her, laughing until his sides hurt. Overall, he considered, it had been a wonderful day. Sure, he'd been essentially trapped up on this roof, but Sophia was a charming and gracious captor. She had a biting sense of humor, too, which Lukas adored. Together, they had come up with a series of errands that "Roman" was making Sophia complete, so she could periodically wander through the streets, complaining about her brother and how he refused to come down from the cyper beds all day. For Lukas, it was boring while she was gone but worth it when she brought back gossip from the stall operators. While he had never known any of them before, Sophia's colorful descriptions had built for Lukas a fully three-dimensional world of intrigue, love triangles, small-scale political rivalries, and petty squabbles.

Now that it would be getting dark, they both knew it was time to head back to the smugglers' tunnel. Sophia swung her legs off the table, and patted Lukas on the head affectionately. Still basking in the warmth of the sun, and in the easy camaraderie of Sophia's gentle presence, Lukas groaned at the prospect of leaving, but stood up nonetheless.

"Sophia, I've had a great time today. Thank you so much," he smiled. She drew him into a warm hug, and despite himself Lukas was instantly transported, envisioning the two of them, naked, crushing the fragrant flowers beneath their impassioned lovemaking.

"Um, Lukas, you can let go now," Sophia laughed awkwardly.

_Dammit, keep it together, man! _"Sorry," he coughed and stepped back. "I've just… I've really had a great day with you," he repeated awkwardly, "And I'll be sorry to see it end."

"Well, maybe one day the integration people will start opening the Sector more, and you can come back," Sophia offered diplomatically, blissfully unaware of Lukas' true thoughts. They turned and headed down the stairs; at the bottom, Sophia remembered that she needed to stop at her pod briefly.

She was still apologizing as she opened the door, so it was Lukas who first saw Maia and Castor. There was nowhere to hide, although he would have happily jumped through a black hole to get away from this moment. Sophia followed his shocked gaze, and gasped at the sight of her mother, topless, pressed against her uncle's bare torso in what was undeniably a moment of terrible intimacy.

Sophia turned on her heel, and ran as fast as she could. Lukas, whose default setting was Southern charm, nodded his head at the two mortified adults.

"Mr. Castor, Mrs. ... uh ... Nox's wife, you two have a good evening," he mumbled before he slammed the door and took off after Sophia, pulling his hood up as he ran.

He caught up with her halfway to the hidden exit, and grabbed her by the elbow.

"Sophia, wait," he panted. Sophia whirled on him, and he saw her face torn by revulsion and grief. She collapsed into his arms and sobbed.

For Lukas it seemed a bit of an overreaction – yes, what they just witnessed was mortifying, and if it had been _his_ mom, well, he probably would have had a little bit of a freak-out too… but Sophia's sense of betrayal was on a scale much grander than Lukas could comprehend. He resorted to his most comfortable fall-back role, that of the consoling friend. He had been trained at Julia's and Emery's hospital bedsides for years. He was _very_ good.

Lukas finally calmed Sophia enough that they could get to the storage room by the Sector wall. At her friend's urging, Sophia agreed they would wait for Roman; a rustling behind the corrugated metal sheeting soon announced his return. He looked worn down to Lukas, but he managed to recover his composure well enough when he saw Sophia. Roman threw a dirty glance Lukas' way and rushed to Sophia's side.

"Hey man, don't look at me, I just did what you asked," Lukas exclaimed.

"It's not Lukas, it's Castor," Sophia gulped, trying not to break into tears again. "We saw him today, in our pod, with…" she could not finish the sentence, but Roman could.

"He was with Mom," Roman sighed. "I'm so sorry Sophia, I should have told you." Sophia stared at him in horror and turned away as Roman's voice took on a defensive tone. "I didn't have proof, just suspicions. And I didn't want to hurt you if it turned out I was wrong."

"Yeah, well, that worked out well, didn't it?" Sophia managed to shoot back.

"Look, I'm really sorry. Please forgive me?" Roman's voice was gentle now. He reached out and pulled his sister into a bear hug.

Lukas slipped away as soon as seemed polite, and after a quick trip through the interior of the Sector wall, bicycled home in the dark. Whatever was going on with his friends, it seemed like there was a cultural aspect he could never understand.

…

On the other side of the wall, Roman and Sophia turned back to their home and to the confrontation they knew was inevitable. Sophia asked Roman how they should handle it, but Roman confessed he had no idea.

"They've broken the law, Sophia. If it were anyone else, the answer would be obvious," he pointed out. She read between the lines of his sentence: under these circumstances, was it worth destabilizing the community even further by dragging their _Iksen_'s name through this scandal?

Back at their pod, Castor and Maia were waiting for them. The place was eerily calm – although in Castor's tense posture, Roman read the potential for explosive conflict. They all sat down at the table and waited for someone to break the silence.

It was Maia who caved first.

"I won't pretend you didn't see what you saw," she started, addressing Sophia. "But it is so much more complicated than you could imagine, I – I – … Castor?" She turned to him, pleading for a rescue.

"Your mother and I are in love," Castor explained unapologetically. "We have been for quite some time. Years, in fact." There was a quiet smugness to most of the things Castor said, but this time it was too much.

"You asshole!" Roman yelled. "You come into my father's _home_, sit at my father's – no, sorry, your _brother_'s! – table, and you tell us you've been having an affair with my mother for _years?_! Tell my why I shouldn't kill you _right_ now? You _know_ I have the right under our laws! You're a traitor to the family!"

"Because we cannot lose a second _Iksen _so soon," Castor replied with cold, sickening logic. "Our people need stability. War is brewing – the Trags are determined to take a human life, and the Redhawks can't wait to get their hands on an Atrian. Another _Iksen_ death – especially one that would drag this family's history through the public arena for all to see – well, that could be enough to light the fuse. Roman, you know I'm right. How could the integration project possibly continue under such circumstances?" Castor stared at his nephew, stared into him and found Emery's face, and then twisted until Roman hurt so much he had to look away.

"You're still a traitor," Roman groaned quietly, clutching at the table. "You're worse than the Trags, Castor! At least they're fighting _for_ our people. You – you don't care about anyone but yourself!" He pushed away from the table and stood, his hearts pounding as the fight-or-flight response kicked in. Castor stood too, daring his nephew to try.

Sophia tried to restore calm.

"Roman, sit down, please, and let's just think about what to do. Okay?" Maia nodded at her daughter's advice, and reached out to her son. He pushed her hand away angrily.

"Don't you _touch_ me. You're just as culpable, Mom! I don't understand; why do this to us? Why do this to Dad?" Roman pleaded for something, anything.

"Your father knew," Maia confessed quietly. She sighed. "He was so busy with his work on the integration project, that he was never home. He felt bad at first, but then I think we both just got used to it, and we became partners instead of lovers. I think he had someone else, too, so he didn't really raise too much fuss when he learned about Castor and me." Roman thought of Gloria, and hung his head. "More than that, though, Nox understood that our people needed stability, hope, and comfort - and he knew he couldn't provide those things if we were in the midst of a family law trial. In the end, we both just found it easier to love someone else. I am sorry that mine led me to break our laws; I never wanted that, you must believe me." She looked at Castor again, and even her children could see her tenderness and passion for their uncle.

Roman had had enough of this. Everyone in his life – Drake, Castor, his parents, Gloria – they were allowed to just go out and take whatever they wanted, indulging whatever whim their passions presented, while he was expected to survive on – what? – a stray glance, a suppressed smile, a faintly whispered hope for a brighter tomorrow?

"I'll be staying at Drake's for awhile," he muttered on his way out.


	21. Chapter 21

Roman and Drake sat in the main room of Drake's pod, staring at the strange sleeping creature before them with a mixture of fascination and fear.

"Seriously, you've done some stupid things recently," Roman stated, "But this one takes the cake."

Drake nodded.

"I'm thinking of calling her Aria," he answered.

"Have you even heard a _word_ I've said in the past five minutes?" Roman asked disbelievingly.

"Ro, she _needs_ me. I spent all evening checking up on her, okay? I didn't just steal her or something," Drake explained. "She's Vwasak, like me. Her mom died giving birth to her, and then her dad joined the Trags. He got sent to the Crates a couple days ago, for trying to plant an illegal listening device in a guard tower. Her only other relative is a grandmother and apparently she's gone totally batty. Aria needs me, Roman. And I can help her. Look, I even got the elder's approval to serve as her temporary guardian," he added, handing Roman a letter in the Vwasak elder's own hand.

"What about school?" Roman prodded stubbornly.

"You know, I don't have to go if I don't want to," Drake replied. "But actually, our neighbor's going to look after her during the day. For now, at least."

"What does she eat?" Roman continued.

"Food, man! Seriously. What is _wrong_ with you?" Drake vowed to himself that Roman would never learn how he had unsuccessfully tried a jar of human baby food earlier that night. Despite still refusing to speak, Aria was more than capable of expressing her opinions on baby food.

"This just seems too rash, even for you," Roman continued. "There must be more going on. Are you sure you're not feeling ill?" he joked. Drake wasn't laughing.

"She's just... so… alone. And I'm pretty alone. And – I don't know, I guess I figured we might as well be alone together. It's less boring," Drake tried to explain.

"Uh-huh. And just out of curiosity, how are you going to tell Taylor that you've become a dad overnight? I'm not sure that's a big selling point for human girls."

Drake thought about the question seriously for a moment, but then he reached out to gently tuck a corner of Aria's blanket under her sleeping form, and in the simple gesture Roman saw all the tenderness, the care, that Drake himself had been deprived for years. He cleared his throat and stood quickly, trying to mask his emotional response.

"So, where's your dad these days?" Perhaps it was time to shift gears.

"I don't know. I hear he's been shacking up with Darla mostly," Drake answered levelly. Darla was one of the more well-known of the Sector's drug dealers. "I had to get a new lock for the door a while back. He was telling all his messed-up drug buddies they could crash here."

"I'm so sorry," Roman whispered. Drake sighed.

"Yeah. So… _Why_ are you staying here, anyway?"


	22. Chapter 22

Taylor had taken extra care with her wardrobe Monday morning. She had enjoyed her surprise visit from Drake on Friday night, and since then had been plotting how to repay him the next time they saw each other. So when Roman approached her before homeroom and said he had a message for her from Drake, she was disappointed to know she had gotten dressed up for nothing.

"So, will he be feeling better tomorrow?" she asked plaintively.

"Uh, I'm not sure," Roman answered. How far was he expected to carry on the ruse, exactly?

Taylor looked around the hallway to make sure nobody was watching, then stepped closer to Roman, much closer than made him comfortable.

"You'll take me in, won't you?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry – I don't – what do you mean?" Roman stammered.

"Into the Sector. To see Drake. I know you got him out, so you can get me in," she responded with quiet confidence and a dangerous smile. "I'm not good at accepting disappointment, Roman, so I expect you to be _very_ helpful. Otherwise, I promise: I will make your life a living hell," she finished, and despite the fact that she had no actual weapons to use against him, Roman found her strangely intimidating.

He nodded, actually hoping to escape to homeroom where he could torture himself with Grayson's return to Emery.

…

Emery and Julia avoided homeroom as long as possible. The television stations, obsessed with Grayson's miraculous return to Edendale on Saturday, were still tracking him everywhere - which meant video of the handsome swimmer was plastered on every flat surface. Once again their school was front and center in the news cycle.

"Can you actually _do_ this?" Julia asked Emery. "I heard the whole thing, remember. Grayson thinks you're in love with Roman." Emery looked away. Nobody had ever actually asked her how she felt about Roman, which was probably for the best. The answer felt too messy.

"I'm ready. Let's do this." Emery squared her shoulders, planted a smile squarely on her face, and entered the classroom.

…

Everyone agreed that it was one of _the_ most romantic things that had ever happened in their class. Grayson had walked in minutes after Emery, and the two shared a big happy reunion hug right there for everyone to see. Even the teacher applauded.

They took their seats reluctantly, holding hands as long as possible. Given the circumstances, it was amazing they could show that much restraint, really. "I'd have jumped his bones right here," one of the girls whispered to a friend.

"Yeah, which is why _you're_ single and _they're_ perfect for each other," her friend retorted.

The announcements started and all eyes focused on the front of the room; Emery bit her lip and steadfastly refused to look at any of the Atrians.

…

Grayson was the man of the hour at lunch – there wasn't a student who didn't want to sit with him and hear all about his crazy weekend. Luckily the principal had asked Grayson's guidance counselor to make special arrangements, and she had arranged a lunch meeting with her, in her office. Left to themselves, Lukas and Julia were once again free to sit with Emery. It felt almost like a normal lunch, except that Emery hadn't said a word the whole meal.

"So, you know what I was thinking, guys? I was thinking – the Atrians should be allowed back out of the Sector after school soon, right? Now that it's been proven nothing criminal happened?" Lukas said. The arson investigator had released his report, stating no accelerant had been found at the Mud Bug and ascribing the event to a faulty gas line connection. Grayson's parents had certainly trained him well.

"What _I'd _really like, though, more than anything, is to be allowed back _in _to the Sector," Julia pointed out. "Lukas, you got to hang out there for a whole day; I want to do that." Lukas smiled at her and agreed that regular two-way access would be fantastic. Emery nodded in mute agreement and chanced a quick glance at the Atrians' table, but couldn't tell if Roman was there or not. _Probably for the best, anyway_.

…

Roman wished he had stayed in the Sector with Drake. Sophia was still grieving silently, unable to share her pain with anyone; Drake was off being a single dad; Teri was staring at Taylor with what appeared to be murder on her mind; Elian and the rest had formed their own little clique, with no real interest in expanding their group; and Emery was even more off-limits than ever. He picked at his food without looking at it, and waited for the day to end.

…

Drake searched under the sofa, behind the kitchen counter, between the bedsheets, with no luck. Aria was gone.

"I give up! Where is she? Where's Aria?" he sang out, and Aria peeked out from behind the bathroom door. He snatched her up with one arm, twirling her high through the air before setting her on the sofa with exaggerated care. Drake crashed down next to her and reached for a stray curl of golden hair that had fallen over her face. Suddenly Aria reached over and hugged him as tightly as she could with both tiny arms. Drake felt a knot in his throat; he swallowed hard.

"I'm kind of hungry, how about you? You hungry?" Drake and Aria headed for the kitchen and stared at the paltry options available to them. This was why they had eaten breakfast from the street vendor's ancient two-wheeled cart earlier. Drake sighed.

"Well, I prefer a picnic lunch anyway, kid," he smiled grimly, grabbing his coat and some money. He didn't want to admit it, but there were moments when he envied Roman's obsession with taking things slow. Roman definitely would have thought this through a little more carefully.

Aria slid her tiny hand into Drake's and pulled him toward the door. _But at least I have more fun, Roman_, Drake thought as he and his ward headed outside.


	23. Chapter 23

_**[I'm so sorry I can't type faster, gang. The outline is there - just gotta fill in the pieces! But your comments are very inspiring. Thank you all for your kind words!]**_

"Listen, Tayor, I can't guarantee your safety," Roman tried again. They stood by her locker, the end-of-day crush pouring around them with hardly an awkward glance anymore. It really had become almost boring to see Atrians and humans interacting, at least for the teenagers of Edendale.

"But Drake can. And Drake will," Taylor shrugged and flipped her hair expertly, reaching into her locker for her purse.

"Fine! ...Meet me at the Sector wall at 7:00. I'll get you in. But if anything happens, I wash my hands of it, understand?" Roman glared at her to make sure she got the message, then turned to find Sophia so he could escape back to the relative sanity of the Sector.

On the bus home, Sophia curled into Roman's chest and slept. He wanted to ask about things at home, but clearly they weren't going well if she was so worn out.

Teri watched them quietly most of the ride home. Roman was happy to see her softer side for once. She was beautiful, but her anger so often got in the way of her tenderness. Right now, though, he was almost tempted to let her in on the reason for Sophia's exhaustion. There was a time when the four of them had been inseparable, Teri and Drake spending just as much time in the cyper gardens as Sophia and Roman. That was before Vega's rise through the Trags' ranks, before Drake dabbled in insurgency, before Maia and Nox proved their incredible fallibility and threatened their family's entire future.

"Won't you at least come home for a bit?" Sophia begged once the bus had dropped them off.

"What's the point? So I can get in another fight with them?" Roman asked with a resigned sigh.

"No, Roman, don't be foolish," his sister spat back. "I miss you. Maybe you'd just want to spend time with your sister?"

Roman finally relented and followed her to their pod. Inside, it had already started to feel slightly unfamiliar – like wearing someone else's shoes.

Castor and Maia were out (_well, _Roman figured_, he really was due _some_ good news)_ and the siblings took the opportunity to pack an overnight bag for Roman to keep at Drake's. At the last minute, Roman reached up and grabbed an old star made of string that hung in his room, tossing it into the top of the bag before heading out.

…

Sophia stepped into a transformed world and her eyes widened. Drake was cooking something that smelled fantastic, and Aria was drawing on a big pad of paper at the table, which had been set with a pretty tablecloth. Roman followed her in and moved toward the little girl. He knelt down and greeted her gently before introducing her to Sophia. Once he was satisfied Sophia and Aria would be okay, Roman stepped into the kitchen and warned Drake about his impending date with Taylor.

"Taylor's coming here? To the Sector?" Drake asked with confusion. "But… why would she want to do that?"

"I don't know, man - I don't think you're all that good looking. But _that_'s actually pretty tasty," Roman answered, grabbing a bite before pulling a stack of plates from the cupboard nearby.

After Sophia left and dinner had been cleared, Drake hoisted Aria up onto his shoulders and explained that they were going to meet _another_ new friend.

"Her name is Taylor. She looks a little funny, but she's kind, and she's smart, so I think you'll be friends."

Drake, Roman, and Aria headed for the Sector wall through the deepening gloom; once there, Roman slipped through to fetch Taylor.

"…Oh wow, this is so crazy," Drake heard Taylor exclaim from inside the wall before he even saw her. Roman was trying to shush her but she ignored him completely. He was still trying his best to make Taylor more aware of the danger she was in, even as they emerged from the abandoned storage room.

"Oh, Drake, thank God!" Taylor sighed, stepping through the doorway and rushing to his side. She stopped a few steps shy, noticing the tiny hands clutching Drake's knee. Taylor cocked her head at the tall alien, and a slow confused smile crept over her face… until she saw the fear of rejection creasing his eyes. Whatever the story here, he was obviously concerned about how she would respond.

Taylor winked reassuringly at Drake, crouched down, and peeked slowly around his knees as well. The child in the shadows looked so much like old photos of her from before the time of the Atrians that Taylor lost her breath. She glanced back up at Drake in shock.

"Taylor, this is Aria. She's the reason I missed school today," Drake began quietly. He picked up the little girl and she settled comfortably into the crook of his arm.

"And Aria, this is Taylor. She's the reason I found you."


	24. Chapter 24

Drake slipped a dark gray hooded sweatshirt over Taylor's head tenderly, apologizing as he did so for having to cover up her beautiful dress. Roman hung back, silently wondering why Drake cared about the dress at all. It was just a dress. A bright, eye-catching, form-fitting dress, one that would stick out like a sore thumb amidst the monochrome of the Atrian wardrobe.

Once Drake had lovingly tucked Taylor's thick golden mane away and pulled the fabric close around her face, the four set off for Drake's pod. His family's proximity to this part of the Sector wall was a blessing – there were fewer Atrians about, so they moved with relative ease.

Safely at home, Aria ran to her drawing paper and picked up where she had stopped earlier. The three teenagers watched her for a while, then Drake timidly offered Taylor a tour of the pod.

"It's not very much," he warned her. "I think our whole place might fit in your family's living room."

"It's adorable," Taylor smiled. "I can't wait to meet your parents." She leaned over and kissed Drake chastely on the corner of his mouth. Drake froze at her words, although his panicked eyes sought Roman desperately. Roman looked back, his own face clearly expressing his surprise and disapproval. Taylor smoothed her dress and asked to use the little girls' room first, unaware of the turmoil she had set in motion, and as soon as she was gone the two friends began a heated – albeit very, very hushed - conversation.

"Don't start, Roman!" Drake whispered warningly.

"Don't start? That's pretty rich, coming from you! All you _do_ is start things! How about a little forethought next time? Does she know _any_thing about you? Really?" Roman whispered back quickly.

"Of course she knows stuff about me! She knows… " Drake stopped. He needed more time to think up an answer.

"Drake, she actually seems like a sweet girl. Sweeter than I thought, really. And she obviously cares about you. But that's not enough to sustain a deeper relationship. I just don't see where any of this is going," Roman whispered, gesturing pointedly at Aria. He could be infuriatingly dispassionate sometimes.

Drake stood up and, glaring at Roman, moved closer to the little girl.

"What are you drawing, sweetheart?" he asked her in a normal voice. He ran a hand over the top of her head protectively as she worked.

Aria held up a picture of some scribbles with a circle in the middle. It looked a lot like a sun, or maybe a spider, or it could have been an octopus if Aria had ever seen one.

She hadn't spoken a word since their first meeting on Saturday, and according to everyone who knew anything about her, it had been that way since SEU guards took her father away last week and left her to fend for herself.

"Taylor," Aria said simply, in a clear voice that robbed Drake of his breath - and his heart. He looked up in wonder just as Taylor walked back through the doorway, and caught her eye.

Right now, Taylor thought, she didn't need all the details of Drake's situation. He had a lot to share with her – when he felt like it. She knew what a home without a mother's touch looked like, and after a minute in the bathroom, this was clearly that kind of home. She also knew that something very special had just happened with Aria, because there was a look on Drake's face she had never seen before. He seemed truly overwhelmed, and Taylor wanted to be the one who fixed that for him.

She looked at the drawing and complimented Aria on her artwork.

"I think this needs to be hung in a place of honor, don't you? How about on the refrigerator? When I was a little girl just like you, I always hung my art on the refrigerator at home. That's where all the best art goes," she smiled encouragingly and held out her hand to the child. Together, they found the perfect spot ("Where everyone can see it," Taylor explained) and – since there were no magnets on the bare appliance – Taylor taught Aria how to chew a piece of gum she had in her purse, then stick it to the back of the drawing as a temporary solution.

Drake and Roman watched silently. Drake had not felt so complete in years. Somehow, some unbelievable way, he had stumbled upon a family to fill the void in his chest. Almost as soon as he thought it, though, he felt a chill fill the room and he was nearly consumed with a sense of dread. This was too unstable. It could all come crashing down at any moment. Taylor was the wrong species, Aria wasn't really his – not really, it was a temporary guardianship until the elders found a better solution – it was all just a single, terrifying step from fairytale. The fear threatened to crush him, even as Taylor turned back and gave him a brilliant smile.

Roman, watching Taylor walk Aria back to the bathroom to get ready for bed, wanted to run away. He wanted to run as far away from here, from Castor and Maia, from the instability and hatred of this planet, as his legs would carry him. And then, he added, he'd crawl.

In Drake's improvised domestic bliss Roman saw the future he ached for, but it was a future that felt as distant as ever. His parents had raised him in the understanding that his life had a very specific path to take. Since infancy, Roman had been destined to lead his people, to put their needs first always - but also to find a mate who could lead alongside him. He had been guided toward appropriate playmates from an early age: Drake, whose parents had been quite influential in the Vwasak tribe back home; Teri, daughter of one of the strongest Iwabas families; there had been no absence of suitable friends and life partners. Even after the crash, and the war, the Zwahan tribe had found ways to continue training their future _Iksen_.

Roman did not feel any resentment over his obligation in the way others might. He _wanted_ to be able to serve his people, and hoped to serve them well when the time came. But as Taylor's soft voice carried out from the bedroom down the hall, singing a pretty human lullaby to Aria, Roman finally resigned himself to the knowledge that he would have to serve as _Iksen_ alone. There could be no partner for him.


	25. Chapter 25

**_[You guys are beasts - I swear I am updating as fast as possible but my children and husband are starting to get a little jealous! Anyway, I love hearing from you all - please keep the feedback coming. :) As I've said before, the more you write, the more I write!]_**

**_..._**

Across town – but a world away – Grayson and Emery were having dinner at the Whitehill residence. It felt to Emery that the tension in the air was so heavy breathing had become difficult – and yet, looking from her father to her mother, it seemed so much less visible to them. They were treating Grayson with the same friendly hospitality they always had. They even teased him lightly about the moniker the local stations had given him, as the Boy Who Survived the Bug.

Part of her wanted to shout the truth, to stand on the table and scream, "He's lying to you! To everyone! He hates everything we believe, and by the way I think I may have accidentally fallen for the son of the alien you killed!" but she didn't, because another part of her still had at least a bit of sense. And then there was the third part, the part that wondered if Grayson was right, and she had brought all this upon them – if she was the one to blame for all of it.

She realized her mother was staring at her expectantly.

"Hm?" she asked blankly.

"The asparagus, sweetie?" her mother gestured to the chafing dish at Emery's elbow. As the dish was passed around, her mother continued. "Honey, I think all this worry has been too hard on your system. You can't just pretend you're fine, sweetheart. We know what you look like when you get run down, and it's not safe."

Grayson cocked his head.

"Is everything okay, Emery?" he asked, all attentive concern.

"Guys, I'm fine. I think I just need a couple nights of really good sleep," Emery countered dismissively.

Grayson looked at Mrs. Whitehill imploringly. He really did have the "puppy-dog eyes" firmly in his wheelhouse, Emery noted. And the effects seemed to transcend generation. Mrs. Whitehill smiled at Grayson and patted his forearm where it lay on the table.

"We just worry a little too much sometimes. I'm sure Emery's right, dear. She just needs a good night's rest."

After dinner the adults insisted on cleaning up, and encouraged Emery and Grayson to hang out on the porch, where they could better appreciate the night breeze. No sooner had they sat down on the steps than it began.

"So, does your tattie boyfriend know you're just a bad night's sleep away from total catastrophe?" Grayson pulled no punches when others were out of earshot. It had been that way all day at school, too. From a distance, he appeared to be whispering sweet nothings in her ear… while in reality, she had been subjected to terrible name-calling and frightening threats of revenge against Roman and his family.

"You like the Atrians," Emery tried to counter for what felt like the hundredth time. "You defended Sophia when she wanted to swim, you helped me get Drake out of Vartan's pickup truck at Homecoming… I don't understand this anger."

Grayson laughed at her.

"Come on, Emery, I was trying to get you to look at me. You had friend-zoned me so bad, I needed _something_ to set me apart, so I was the Atrian-lover for you," he said, calm now. Grayson rested his head against the porch column and closed his eyes for a moment. "Looking back on it, I can't really believe all the stupid things I did for love."

"Love?" It was Emery's turn to laugh. "Love was never a part of this. You clearly don't know the meaning of the word," she jabbed back. It had been a long day, and she was growing tired of maintaining the charade.

"Oh? Right, I forgot who I was talking to. So teach me, then, Emery. Tell me all about what it's like when he's with you." Judging by Grayson's voice, he was losing his cool.

"Does he make you see stars, Emery? Are there violins when he kisses you? Do you scream his name when you're screwing him? Hm? C'mon, spill it... What's alien sex like, Emery?" He threw the last part at her sadistically, and almost thought he had maybe crossed a line… No. _She_ had. She had done this. She deserved to reap the rewards of her stupidity.

She was quiet for a long time, and finally Grayson looked over just to make sure she was still there. Emery had turned to face him and there was a hardness to her jaw now; she was done trying to use reason and kindness to fix him.

"I've never been with _anyone_. I'm a virgin, you asshole," she said flatly. "And I can't do this any more. Tomorrow, at school, we're ending this sham. I don't even care how, just as long as I can have you out of my life for good." She stood up and walked back inside without another word.

…

Tuesday's homeroom was nearly over. The Atrian 7 had been called away first thing for yet another meeting with Gloria, although when they returned they were eager to share their big news: the SEU busses would be returning to their more relaxed schedule, allowing the Atrians back into town.

The bell rang and Grayson walked over to Emery's desk to wait as she gathered her things. Suddenly he bent toward her and kissed her roughly, possessively, for everyone to witness. As he straightened up he winked at Roman; then he noticed a folded-up paper under Emery's chair.

"Hey I think this fell out of your notebook," he began, reaching for it.

"I don't think so," Emery responded… but Grayson had unfolded the paper and started to read it silently.

"Emery, what _is_ this?" he stepped back in shock, holding the note out for someone else to read. Taylor immediately swooped forward – a good drama to start the day never hurt – and quickly scanned it.

"Oh my God! Emery! Is all this true?"

"Is what true?" Emery asked blankly… and then her eyes narrowed. She had said to end it, had said that she didn't care how…

"Grayson, what have you do -" but he cut her off.

"I- I'm sorry Emery. I think... I need some time alone," Grayson murmured in his most hurt voice, shaking his head and then pushing his way out the door.

Julia managed to snag the note from Taylor, and read it quickly, eyes wide. Emery tried to take the note next but her friend crumpled it into a ball and shoved it into her back pants pocket.

"Nope. You're better never knowing."

Most of the class had crowded around Taylor after she read the note; she carried them along with her as she swept out of the room to first period. The only people left were Lukas, Julia, Emery… and Roman.

"Julia, Taylor knows. In five minutes, the whole school will find out," Lukas interjected. "Emery should have a chance to defend herself."

"Yeah, well, she's not the only one," Julia replied, shooting Lukas a sympathetic look.

"What just happened?" Roman asked Julia in confusion. He could tell it had been bad for Emery, but there were too many details missing.

"Um, well, according to that note, which _he_ apparently wrote by the way," Julia mumbled, eyeing Lukas sympathetically, "Emery and Lukas did the dirty at Homecoming… And like about 6 other times after that, _including_ twice while Grayson was missing." Emery immediately blushed and looked away from the boys; Lukas clasped his hands over his gaping mouth and shook his head.

"Nononono, oh Em," he said, "I'm so sorry." For his part, Roman kept quiet by picturing 101 Ways to Crush Grayson Montrose. A few of them, at least, were just figurative.

"It's fine," Emery looked Lukas squarely in the eyes and smiled. She couldn't bring herself to look at Roman yet. "It's just Grayson's way of getting back at me one last time, by condemning me to social Hell. And hey – if I had to be a heartless two-timer, I'm glad it was with you, Lukas," Emery tried to joke. She reached out and gave her friend a warm hug. "I'm honestly fine, really. It had to end somehow. And I think I understand him a little better now," she added, thinking back to his accusations of the night before. She finally glanced at Roman, and blushed again. In Grayson's warped mind, she had cheated on him and needed to be punished, in a way that wouldn't risk exposing his own arson and fake kidnapping.

"Well," Julia thought out loud, "At least we won't have any problems finding an empty table at lunch today. To think, my best friend cheated on the Boy Who Survived the Bug - with my other best friend - all right under my nose!" At that Lukas finally laughed, and the warm resonant sound broke the stony mood.

Despite the judgment that inevitably waited for her on the other side of the classroom door, Emery felt lighter. The past week had been such a roller coaster. At least all she had to do now was ride out the storm of public shaming, and then hopefully she could move on.

As if reading her mind, Roman stepped to her side.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked, reaching for the door.

"Actually, I think I am," she smiled at him.


	26. Chapter 26

Taylor and Drake slipped into the janitorial closet next to the gym ("their" closet, as Taylor now thought of it) for a little lunch break. It shocked them both that nobody had bothered to put a lock on the door, after their last visit had left the place in shambles.

Taylor looked … edible. Drake was torn; he needed to touch her, hold her, consume her, and his hands were already clearly committed to following that exact plan. But he also needed to talk to her, especially after everything that had happened last night. His mouth had not decided what to do, so in a desperate move it had chosen both.

"Taylor, I," _kiss_, "wanted to ask you," _kiss again_, "about what you said last," _kiss, but, wow what a kiss! More please. _Wait - what was he saying?

He shook his head to clear it. Taylor could turn him upside down sometimes.

"Drake, make up your mind, please," Taylor's voice cut through his muddled thoughts. He finally realized she was standing in front of him, hands on hips, in nothing but her underwear. That settled it.

"Yeah, you're right - we can talk later," he whispered gruffly, and pulled her close. She wrapped herself around him expertly, and lost herself in the heat of him. One secret they had never mentioned in biology class? Those markings weren't just sexy to look at. They were hyper-sensitive to the touch during arousal, which Taylor used to full advantage. She knew it drove Drake mad, and that was at least half the fun.

After, as they were dressing, Taylor reminded Drake about the talk he wanted to have.

"Right, thank you... Listen, I know there's a lot going on right now, with Aria and everything," Drake began, "but I don't want you to think I'm ignoring you on purpose. I would never do that. In fact, I was hoping we could maybe try – you know, like maybe try a date or something?" he swallowed hard. It had sounded better in his head.

Taylor laughed and kissed him swiftly on the chin.

"I would definitely love to go on a date with you, but how? At the Bug? In the Sector?" As she spoke she arched one perfect eyebrow.

"I don't know yet. But I'll figure something out, okay?" he grinned at her disarmingly and she felt her knees weaken. This had all started as nothing more than a conquest, on both their parts. The last week had changed everything for her, and she knew nothing could go back to the way it had been.

"Oh! Before I forget, can I give you a little present to take back to Aria after school?" Taylor whispered as they slipped out and were about to part.

On its surface it was a simple request, but for Drake it meant so much more. He risked everything, grabbing her back up in a rough, passionate embrace before he turned and loped off to his locker. Taylor was left gasping for air and slightly disheveled, and she could feel, but not remove, a huge grin as she herself headed in the opposite direction. She never even noticed the shadowy figure that slid silently back into the obscurity of the girls' locker room, having observed the entire exchange.

…

Gloria had not meant to see what she saw. She was only in the locker room because she had a meeting with Saul and liked to prepare her speeches in front of the large mirrors.

Now, her breath caught in her throat and she smiled with satisfaction as she leaned against the door. Integration, it appeared, was going so much better than she could ever have expected.


	27. Chapter 27

_Let Roman stew._ Castor had worked hard to get where he was today, despite his nephew's accusations. There were perks to being Nox's younger brother, of course (plenty of their people were willing to… "invest" in Castor, in exchange for the promise of the _Iksen_'s positive attention at some future time), but such compensations paled when compared with his power now. He had read Shakespeare years ago, at his brother's urging (Nox had always been so insistent that the Atrians understand the culture of these new people). Mostly, the plays were too dull for him - and there was not a sonnet worth his time… but _Hamlet_ he had enjoyed. The ending needed a re-write, of course, but other than that, it showed real promise.

He glanced down at the sleeping figure beside him, and his expression finally softened as he traced Maia's features with his eyes. How typical of Nox, he thought with vestigial anger, to lay claim to the most beautiful among them, then take her for granted all these years. If he could, he would build monuments to her beauty, her grace under immense pressure, her fortitude in the face of a cheating loveless husband… Castor stopped and took a moment to re-center himself. This was not the time. Perhaps, if the world were different, he could do all those things. He had read other human stories, too, of rulers building great tombs for their lovers… in this one way at least, the Atrians perhaps had something to learn from their human captors.

For that is what they were, Castor knew. The striking human woman, Gloria – she could hide her head in the sand if she wanted to. She had the luxury of freedom. For Castor, though, it was not such a rosy scene. His job was to remove the shackles from his people, to lead them out of the Sector and into their future. Despite all Roman's mistrust, Castor knew he was the right one for this moment in history.

Maia stirred lightly and Castor laid a soothing hand on her shoulder. When he was younger he had been drawn – dangerously so - to her lithe figure, the sharp angles of her high cheekbones, her quick wit. Two children and two decades later, his love for her had softened around the edges, just as she had. Now he could appreciate the beauty of curving hips that had carried two children, and enjoy these quiet times with her.

He slipped away once he was certain she still slept, to prepare for the day. It was the free hour now, the time just after curfew had lifted but before Atrians actually began to filter onto the boulevards of the Sector. He had become practiced at moving quietly along the upper gangways between his pod and Maia's in the quiet grayness of this pre-dawn peace. It really was time he headed home.

Sophia was waiting for him in Maia's living room. She stared at him silently, arms crossed, tracking his every movement, just as she had done every morning since the confrontation.

"Good morning, Sophia," Castor said politely – just as _he_ had done every morning.

"Get out of my house," she answered flatly. Castor sighed. She certainly was a creature of habit.

"Have a nice day," he replied levelly, and headed on his way.

…

Roman and Drake were desperate. For the second morning in a row, Aria had woken them, screaming in her sleep; no amount of coaxing could rouse her. They stepped out of her room for a moment to consider their options. Both boys showed early signs of sleep deprivation.

"Well, _Dad_, what's next?" Roman quipped sarcastically. Drake rubbed his close-cut hair in frustration.

"Shut up, I'm thinking!" he snapped back. There was something about the little girl's pitch that set his teeth on edge. It struck a primeval chord within him, making him frantic.

"Ok, ok… I'm going back in," he finally sighed. Roman just shook his head and crouched down in the hallway, knowing it was futile. He started counting the seconds, just to see how long it would take before Drake dove back out of the room.

He had just passed 150 when Roman realized something was missing. His ears were no longer barraged by Aria's shrieks… he peeked through the doorway cautiously. Drake had fallen asleep on Aria's mattress, and the little girl was splayed across his chest, calmer now, her breathing steady but for the occasional hiccup.

Roman smiled, yawned, and went out to the living room where he collapsed on the sofa. He might still be able to catch a couple hours of sleep before school.

…

Emery and Julia were taking more care than ever on Emery's wardrobe choices. Gone (for now) were her short skirts and cute knee-highs. Instead, Julia picked out a pair of dark jeans and a demure blouse. Emery jokingly suggested they also pin a giant red "A" to her chest, but Julia did not laugh.

"Look, you may think this is all okay, but that's exactly why you need me. You get so wrapped up in all the Integration politics, Em, that you don't even realize how much life in a small town revolves around your high school reputation. Like, for _years_ afterward."

"No, I'm sure you're right, Julia. And thank you for your help. It's just… I've been thinking a lot about what happens next." Emery's sleeplessness recently had less to do with Grayson than her parents believed, and much more to do with Roman than she herself had ever anticipated. "I've been thinking about…" she hesitated, but Julia was already smiling in eager anticipation, so she sighed and plunged ahead. "… About Roman."

"_I knew it_!" Julia gasped and flopped back onto Emery's bed in satisfaction. She rivaled the Cheshire Cat in her grin; just the happiness on her face was enough to make Emery's day.

"Thank goodness, Em, because seriously, this has taken way too long. I've been rooting for you two crazy kids for ages! So wait, what happens now?" Julia's happiness faded quickly to concern. "You can't just walk up to him at school and give him a big hug and a kiss, now, can you?"

Emery was endlessly grateful for her friend. She wasn't really used to plotting such things at the sophisticated level Julia seemed to occupy. She hadn't planned… well, anything.

"I guess I…" Emery stopped and chewed on her lip pensively. "I… need to think it through first," she admitted.


	28. Chapter 28

_[All right gang, please be gentle. This chapter was a labor of love for me. Even if you're a fan of Drake and Taylor, I hope you'll take a moment to read this through and provide your thoughts. But, y'know... gently.]_

Julia cornered Lukas at lunch on Friday with her plan. He was hesitant at first. He liked Roman, but was well aware of the giant thundering blind spot his friend had when it came to Emery. If Julia's plan backfired, and something went wrong, it would be Lukas who suffered at the hands of the overly-protective Atrian.

Julia did not seem to care.

"Come on, Luke, don't you have a heart at all?" Julia wheedled. "This week has been Hell for them both. Emery, especially; she needs this. But so does he, you know that. _Look_." Julia watched Lukas carefully, holding in her smile when they caught Roman staring longingly at Emery from across the lunchroom.

"It's like that every day," she whispered sadly in Lukas' ear. "He's being eaten alive, Lukas." She gave him a beat, to soak in all the angst. "And now, let's see the other side," Julia directed, using one finger to swivel Lukas' chin toward Emery. She was staring down at her lunch tray, not even bothering to feign interest. A group of freshman girls walked past, whispering and pointing at her. One, braver than the rest, actually stopped to say something. Lukas and Julia couldn't hear, but the color drained from Emery's face and they knew it had to do with Grayson.

"Yeah, all right," Lukas sighed. "They really are a pathetic pair, aren't they?"

"They need us, Lukas," Julia avowed. She loved nothing better than a little scheming for the benefit of friends. "Come with me – I have it all worked out. Just play along."

She and Lukas sat down next to Emery, who glanced up and finally smiled.

"I was wondering when you would get here," she said, glancing back at the gaggle of freshman girls - who were now pointing at Lukas. "Sorry about them," she added.

"It's okay, really," Julia said dismissively. "He doesn't even notice that stuff." She was eager to move on with the conversation, but Lukas looked at her, offended.

"I assure you, I do care," he retorted, "I just… care about Emery more." He reached out give her hand a gentle reassuring squeeze, and dropped it quickly when a passing senior sniffed disapprovingly and shook his head at them.

"Damn. Grayson would win Prom King in a heartbeat at this point, and he's not even a senior," Lukas muttered.

"Is there such a thing as Prom _Demon_? I think I have that one locked up pretty tight," Emery joked – although the joke never reached her eyes. There, the exhaustion and stress were most visible.

"They can all suck it," Julia muttered. "You need a break from these idiots. Let's get out of town tonight, okay? Just the three of us."

"Thanks, Jules, but I kind of wanted to make other plans for tonight…" Emery's voice faded as she tried to find Roman in the crowd, but his seat was already empty. She sighed. Might as well appease Julia, then.

"Yes, okay; why not?"

Instantly Julia was all smiles and sunshine.

"Great! We'll pick you up at your place and go to dinner. Say, 6:00? I want to check out Parrain's. Their seafood is supposed to be the best in Baton Rouge. I'll make reservations!" She continued chattering about their plans, reminding Emery to pack a bag so she could crash at Julia's after, and wondering if they should try to sneak into a club while they were in the city.

Emery tuned her out. She just desperately wanted to talk to Roman, something they hadn't been able to do since the car ride back from the Montroses' cabin. Everything felt so uncertain. She knew the past week of sleeplessness was hard on her immune system, but the night was haunted with dreams of Grayson and his anger, unleashed on the Atrians in unspeakable ways. She needed to escape for a while. Julia was right.

At home that afternoon, Emery prepared for her night out. Her father walked in as she was tossing some clothes into a backpack.

"Your mom told me you're going out with Julia and Lukas," he began, leaning against the doorframe to watch this stranger he called a daughter. She had gone into the hospital his fragile little girl, and emerged a strong young woman.

"If you think it's a bad idea, I don't have to go," she began apologetically, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"Not at all. I think you're lucky to have such good friends, and I trust them both – _and you_ – to make good choices. In fact, here," he pulled out his wallet and handed Emery some cash, "why don't you go ahead and get in _a little_ trouble, okay? But only a little," he smiled indulgently. Emery hugged her father and promised she'd call if there were an emergency.

She sat on the porch to wait for Lukas' car, watching the sky a little nervously. Storm clouds were moving in, and it had been a long time since the last rain. The plants surely needed this, but she worried it might put a damper on Julia's great plans.

When Lukas and Julia finally arrived, Emery's mother commented that she'd never seen such a handsome trio. She gave her daughter a quick hug and told her to have fun.

"…But not too much fun!" she added hastily as the car pulled away from the curb. Ray Whitehill tugged his wife close and hugged her gently. He reminded her that Emery's friends had good heads on their shoulders, and then lifted an eyebrow and pointed out that they had a perfectly good, empty house to themselves for the night…

Lukas and Julia were suspiciously quiet on the road. Emery tried to start a conversation or two, but the effort was so one-sided that she finally gave up. She stared out the window, instead, praying for the rain to hold off until tomorrow. She was in strappy heels – the kind that would not survive a Louisiana rainstorm.

"Wait… Lukas, I think you're going the wrong way," Emery said suddenly. She recognized this road, and this neighborhood…

Julia cleared her throat nervously.

"You're not coming with us to Baton Rouge," Julia confessed. "You're getting out… right… _here_." The car had arrived at a corrugated metal wall, next to the chain-link fence that surrounded the Sector.

Emery's heart pounded loudly in her ears, and she wondered what Julia had planned. She knew instinctively that Roman was near, and that for once, there were no unfriendly eyes watching their every move.

"Julia…" Emery whispered.

Julia looked back, worried, but smiled when she saw Emery's eyes shining in gratitude.

"What happens now?" she continued.

"Lukas can sneak you in. There's a secret entrance. Roman is there already, waiting for you," Julia explained, after confirming the time on the car's dashboard screen.

Lukas took Emery through the space between the metal sheeting, and when they arrived at the storage room, Lukas gave her a quick hug and wished her luck.

"We'll be back for you at curfew, Cinderella," Lukas whispered. Then he was gone, and Emery was left to push open the rusty door and slip inside the Sector alone.

…

Roman was waiting in the shadows nearby; as the door creaked open slowly, he stepped forward.

"Lukas, I still don't - " he froze. Her beauty sucked the air from this space. She wore a simple blue sleeveless dress, exposing her warm white shoulders. He wanted to stay like this, drinking her in, but she turned and saw him, and the nervousness in her eyes broke the spell.

"What are you doing here?" he croaked. She misunderstood.

"I'm sorry, you're right; this was a bad idea. It was all Julia's fault," she stammered, and backed toward the door.

"No!" Roman's vehemence stopped her, and gave him time to close the space between them. "Please, don't go. We just have to get you somewhere safe," he said, looking around for any signs of movement.

"Look, first we need to help you blend in," Roman stated, forcing himself to focus on the problem at hand. He grabbed his own outer shirt and threw it over her quickly.

Emery closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as the soft cotton enveloped her.

When she opened her eyes, Roman was staring at her, his head cocked to one side in that way she found irresistible. He cleared his throat. Twice.

"You.. uh.. your shoulders… no markings," he choked out by way of explanation. She nodded in understanding and the pair slipped into the shadows.

Roman knew there was only one safe option. They needed to get to the roof, and to the cyper beds, before she was spotted. As they headed that way, Roman cursed Julia and Lukas under his breath. Emery's life was in danger here in the Sector, far more than that of any other human. She had the blood of a killer in her veins. It wasn't just Trags who would be interested in exacting revenge upon her for Nox's death - he was fairly certain most Atrians would consider it an honor to avenge the slain _Iksen_.

Once they had made it to the garden, Roman turned to apologize. "I'm sorry that Lukas and Julia did this," he started. "It really is too dangerous for you to be in the Sector. I don't mean to sound dramatic, but your life is worth very little here."

Emery nodded, but pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"Then, why didn't you just shove me back out through the wall?" she challenged him, cocking her own head in unconscious mimicry of Roman's habit.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He was silent for the space of an eternity, trying to read her feelings in her features.

"Because I couldn't let you go," he finally confessed quietly. "Because I can't," he added in a pained whisper, reaching down for her hand tenderly.

Emery felt a bit dizzy. Suddenly she was angry at Julia for doing this, for forcing her into this confrontation when she hadn't had a chance to think of what it was she wanted to say to Roman. To stall for time, she looked down at their hands, at their fingers laced together. It didn't help. His hands were large, and warm, and rough – and her skin tingled at the thought of them traveling across her body.

The world felt too confining, like a force was squeezing against the pair of them from all sides.

"Roman, I…" she could think of nothing to say. She pulled away from him, from the perilous vortex that was visible behind his gentle blue eyes, and walked toward the edge of the roof. Behind her, the cyper beds released their gentle fragrance, blending with the smell of Roman on the shirt she still wore.

Roman stayed where he was, terrified that he had scared her off so soon. He tried silently willing time to reverse.

The first raindrops fell, and he looked up in surprise. It had not rained in so long; he had almost forgotten how the cyper garden transformed. He looked at Emery, an excited smile on his lips, wanting to share with her what was about to happen all around them…

But Emery was staring at Roman, her eyes wide in wonder, both hands clasped together and pressed against her open mouth. She moved toward him slowly. When she was inches away, she tenderly reached out and touched his cheek, where the rain had fallen upon his markings, setting them aglow.

"Oh my god," she choked, her throat too thick with emotion, "You're beautiful." Roman reached up and covered her hand with his, pressing her palm against his lips and kissing it gently. Emery closed her eyes and a tiny groan escaped her. The sound of it nearly drove Roman mad. He pulled away quickly, before he could do anything stupid and regrettable.

Without letting go of her hand, Roman sat down on a nearby pallet, and Emery sank down next to him, finally tearing her gaze away from his face.

"Cyper flowers love rain," Roman explained shakily. "Every drop that falls upon a petal releases the cyper pollen. Watch," he added quietly, pointing at one plant that had already begun the transformation. Soon others were following suit. The air over the plants became a shimmering, multi-colored haze, a glowing cloud of reds, pinks, deep violets and bright blues, and as the breeze wafted across the top of the building, the pollen cloud responded as if dancing, curling around and up and over itself in a constant state of flux. It was so beautiful Emery's heart hurt, and she felt a tear prick at the corner of her eye.

Roman reached out and caught it before it had a chance to traverse her cheek. His fingers curled lightly under her chin and pulled her around to face him.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern. He hadn't meant to upset her.

"I'm fine," Emery smiled wistfully. "I just can't believe how your world could be full of _this_ much beauty, even when humans have done everything we can to obliterate it all. It's … very humbling," she finished, looking down at her silly, boring blue dress. They were silent again, watching the display before them.

"Roman," Emery said suddenly, having found her resolve, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here tonight, you're right. I don't deserve to be a part of this world. You need someone who shines as brilliantly as you do, someone like… well, someone not like me." She wanted to say more, but it wouldn't be right to burden him with her torment. Instead she bit the inside of her cheek and watched his face for a reaction.

Roman closed his eyes to think for a moment, then turned to face her more fully. This might be his only chance to make her understand.

"Emery, I have never been able to imagine a future with anyone else in it." As he spoke, gentle raindrops continued to sprinkle his cheeks and neck, and the resulting blue glow framed his features like an otherworldly halo.

"It's why I've been fighting to keep you safe. You gave me life. You gave me love, Emery." He smiled fondly. "You gave me a star. I would give you all the stars in the sky, if I could," he declared softly.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she listened, and Emery tried to shake them away, irritated by her body's weakness. She leaned forward, lightly kissing the collection of blue freckles that ran along Roman left cheekbone, sending warm ripples of need down his spine.

"You don't realize, do you, Roman?" she whispered in his ear. "Give me the stars? You already _have_."

He turned his face toward her slightly, and, not daring to breath, pressed his lips lightly against hers.

The shock of his warm sweet mouth was too much to endure. Emery pushed back against him hungrily, surprising herself with the force of her own response. He smiled and happily kissed her back, matching her passion.

Their mutual need for each other finally unleashed, Roman grabbed at the soaking shirt Emery still wore, and stripped it off over her head, just as she did the same to him. They broke apart for a moment, panting, drinking each other in. Roman reached out and caressed Emery's arm, her bare shoulder, then wrapped his hand gently around the back of her neck and leaned in to kiss her throat where he could see her pulse, beating like a trapped butterfly against the paleness of her rain-soaked skin. She moaned softly and grabbed his arm for support, and he laughed at the wonder of her.

They made love in the rain, under a blanket of glowing, pulsing, iridescent stardust.


	29. Chapter 29

_[I need to quickly thank two lovely followers of this story, Marina Black1 and Duchess Emma, for their fantastic support. If you see any growth in the quality of the writing as this story progresses, you have them to thank! I know I do! Thank you both so much.]_

Emery stretched, yawned, and then curled back up against Roman's bare chest contentedly. He smiled at her in pure adoration as he lightly traced a path along her dusty arm with his fingers. The rain had stopped and the cyper pollen had fallen back to earth, coating the roof – and Emery's skin – with a very faint layer of color. He pulled her closer, placing gentle kisses along her jaw until, frustrated by his chaste approach, Emery pulled away slightly. He craned up toward her, not wanting to part with the taste of her skin, but she pushed one finger firmly against his lips and forced him back down.

Emery straddled Roman and leaned forward so that her dark tresses cascaded around their faces, blocking out the rest of the world. She grinned down at him teasingly – but then hesitated. Perhaps she was being too forward?

Roman saw her eyes flicker with uncertainty. He smiled at her encouragingly and stretched up again, pretending he couldn't quite reach her, until she bent just a bit closer and lightly brushed her lips across his. He chuckled appreciatively and lunged the last few inches, finally capturing her mouth and kissing her fully.

Roman grabbed Emery's waist and flipped her over, kissed the rise of her left breast just over her heart, then pulled back with a frustrated sigh.

"Curfew is in an hour," he reminded her. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and frowned at him for a moment.

"Well, that certainly kills the mood," she stated, trying not to let a pouting tone sneak into her voice.

They dressed haphazardly, in between kisses stolen at every chance. Roman sat back down once they were mostly put back together, and dragged Emery into his lap. The shadow that usually hung over his brow was gathering again. She placed her hands on his face in an attempt to hold it at bay.

"Emery, what are we doing?" Roman finally asked her. "How is this supposed to happen now?"

"I don't know," Emery answered honestly. "But I'm not afraid," she added. "And you don't need to be, either. We have each other. Let's just let the rest of the world be messy without us for a bit," she suggested.

Roman sighed. "You still don't understand," he tried to explain. "My role is to protect my people. The messiness is with me. Always. You shouldn't have to deal with all that, and it's not really fair of me to ask it of you."

Emery laughed at him lovingly.

"In case you missed it, I've already gotten myself pretty deeply involved, Roman. If you could scare me off that easily, I think I would have run long ago."

Roman's hearts swelled with pride at her response. There was no question: she was fearless. That her fearlessness sometimes bordered on carelessness did not escape him, but he had long ago resigned himself to protecting her even when she refused to see the danger.

"So," she continued, "If you can't separate yourself from all this, then at least let me share the burden with you." She leaned into him, pulling his face to her and softly, tenderly kissing him again. It wasn't fair, she thought – they had wasted so much time before now, avoiding each other. She wanted to make up that time, those lost embraces, starting right now.

Despite himself, Roman gave in to her. He wanted her, too, so it was hard to deny her this. He had spent enough time as an ascetic.

They lost themselves in each other again, their mouths exploring flesh more fully than in the initial heady rush of earlier. Roman's hands slid up Emery's thighs, under the hem of her dress, and Emery shivered in surprise and pleasure. She tugged at his shirt impatiently, pulled it up to expose his bare torso, and ran her lips lightly along the river of dark skin that coursed over his chest and stomach.

She jumped in surprise when Roman groaned loudly at the touch.

"I'm so sorry, did I hurt you?" she asked apologetically.

"Just the opposite," Roman managed, panting. His brain was suddenly overwhelmed with images of Emery's naked body, writhing in ecstasy. He had to get himself under control. "But unless you want this all to escalate again, and quickly, you might want to be more careful."

Understanding lit Emery's face, and she smiled mischievously.

"What, you mean _this_?" she began, taunting Roman by nuzzling against the right side of his neck.

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back quickly. His reaction caused her to frown, hurt, but then she saw the wild look in his eyes and froze. She had clearly gone too far.

"I'm really sorry... this is all so new to me," she whispered. Roman relaxed a bit then, and allowed a smile.

"It's not exactly like I've slept with a lot of human girls before you, either."

Emery tilted her head down, not wanting to look at him. "No, I mean this is_… all_… new to me," she whispered. "Four years quarantined in a hospital, remember?"

Roman stared at the crown of her head, understanding slowly dawning.

"Now I just feel like an ass," he murmured as he pulled her in close, hugging her protectively.

"No, please don't say that," Emery scolded. "I'm… glad? Is that the right word?... I'm glad that it was you," she explained quietly, looking up for one more kiss before they had to leave for the Sector wall.

…

There were fifteen minutes left to curfew when they arrived at the wall. Roman's cautious nature served them well when, a hundred yards from the storage unit, they noticed activity ahead. Emery gasped and moved closer to Roman.

Two SEU guards were there, welding loose sheets of corrugated metal back into place.


	30. Chapter 30

Drake had spent all afternoon trying to work out the logistics of a date with a human. Sophia had agreed to babysit Saturday morning, so grateful for any excuse to be away from Maia and Castor that she didn't even ask why. The other details had been trickier to maneuver without raising too many eyebrows, but at least it was done. Now he just wanted to be back at his pod; he was weary, and missed Aria.

As soon as he slipped inside she came running to him and he knelt down, catching her in his big embrace and scooping her up into the air. He slid her easily onto his shoulders – her favorite perch – then turned to pay his neighbor before showing Aria her gift from Taylor (a pretty white sundress, a dozen magnets for the refrigerator, and a set of watercolors).

Alone with his daughter – _no, dammit Drake, you idiot, that's a line you can't cross_ – with his young charge, Drake felt the absence of Taylor more acutely. It was frustrating, living in two worlds like this. When he was in the Sector, he ached for the human who somehow filled a void no Atrian could fill; and when he was out there, he worried about Aria constantly - he wondered if she was too cold, too hot, if she was hungry, safe. Things had seemed so perfect just a few days ago, but now that his schedule had re-adjusted he could see the potential tipping points more clearly. He was consumed by fear of those tipping points.

Maybe he'd made a mistake somewhere. Maybe Taylor was just a silly girl, and all this was his pathetic attempt at making something out of nothing. Or maybe Aria should have remained a scruffy underfed kid on the street, another casualty of their people's captivity, a cautionary tale for parents who thought joining the Trags might be a good idea.

Neither of these seemed like a realistic option to Drake. He was in too deep with both Taylor and Aria, his sense of loyalty to them both was too strong. There had to be a third solution.

After Aria had been put to bed (she insisted he sing that lullaby of Taylor's, but since he didn't know the words, it was basically a new - and increasingly nonsensical - song every night) Drake paced between the living room and the kitchen like a caged tiger, trying to come up with alternatives. Where was Roman, anyway? Planning was really his forte. Drake sat down to wait, drumming his finger against his knee impatiently.

….

Taylor had no legitimate excuse to avoid dinner with her parents tonight so, resigned to a couple hours of familial Hell, she smoothed her dress and gave her hair one last look in the mirror before heading downstairs to check in with her stepmother for inspection. She found the adults in the formal sitting room, and clasped her hands demurely while waiting for judgment to be handed down. Tonight, as with most nights, the Dragon Lady had a cocktail in one hand - of course, this still left the other hand free to point out mistakes in all those she considered sub-par (the housekeeper, the dog-walker, Taylor, Taylor's father… she wasn't too picky).

"Well, thank you for deigning to grace us with your presence for once, my dear," her stepmother began. She gave her stepdaughter a cursory once-over and sighed.

"Taylor, honey, this is not a strip-club. I would prefer to eat my food without being assaulted by your exposed bosom throughout the meal. Please find a cardigan to cover yourself properly before we eat." She headed to the kitchen to harangue the chef.

Taylor pursed her lips and shrugged to herself. Could have been worse. Really, all things considered it was nearly a compliment.

The Dragon Lady had stepped in to fill the void left by Taylor's mother's death, and nearly a decade later she was still fighting hard to wipe out any trace of her predecessor's influence in the family. Taylor had grown up hearing that her mother was nothing but a "backwater floozy with aspirations", a gold-digging harlot who slept with anything that coughed and had two pennies to rub together. The apple couldn't possibly fall very far from that tree, her stepmother reasoned. It was entirely the second wife's responsibility to bring this family back to its former levels of respectability.

As Taylor walked to the foyer for a sweater, she patted her father gently on the shoulder. He looked up from his newspaper absentmindedly and smiled at her.

"You look so much like your mother tonight, my dear," he commented mildly. She just kissed him on the top of his bald head and moved on. Nobody in the family was supposed to talk about her resemblance to her mother. It was one of many topics considered too unseemly to bring up.

They had just sat down for dinner when the doorbell rang. The Dragon Lady sighed loudly, visibly distressed that someone could be so rude as to disturb their mealtime. Taylor, on the other hand, happily excused herself to answer the door. Anything to spend a few less minutes with that woman.

Gloria Garcia was standing on their doorstep. Taylor couldn't understand why the beautiful government liaison was at her house, but again – anything, to avoid returning to the dining room. She showed Gloria into the sitting room and slipped away to inform her parents of her guest. When Taylor returned, Gloria was sitting ramrod straight on the edge of an armchair.

"You don't know me very well, Taylor," Gloria began, "But I've been reading quite a lot about you recently." She outlined Taylor's biography quickly, enough to let Taylor know who was in charge, then got down to the real reason for her visit.

"My dear, you and I need to have a hypothetical discussion. Before we begin, however, I want to be _very_ clear: this hypothetical conversation of ours may have very real repercussions for all of us," Gloria warned the blonde girl. Taylor nodded, wide-eyed; she was not entirely sure she followed this line of reasoning, but was curious to see where Gloria was headed. Obviously it had to do with the Atrians, but Taylor was still confident only Roman knew about her relationship with Drake.

"So, young lady, let's imagine a hypothetical future where Integration has succeeded. Can you picture that world?" Gloria watched the teenager carefully as she spoke. Taylor was keeping quiet – a challenge, admittedly, but she was no dummy. Gloria was here to talk, not listen.

"In this hypothetical world of ours, Atrians and humans can live side-by-side. They don't just go to school together; they work together, are neighbors and friends, and… _maybe_… more than that one day… maybe lovers, husbands… wives. Can you see it, Taylor?" Staring into the girl's wide brown eyes, Gloria found the confirmation she sought.

"Ill tell you what I think," Gloria whispered kindly. "I think you would _like_ to help make that world a reality. Am I right?" Taylor nodded slightly, hypnotized by Gloria's velvety voice and utopian vision. Gloria reached out and grasped Taylor's hand warmly. "Taylor, you may have a very big role to play in all of this, very, very soon."

...

Curfew would be enforced in ten minutes. The warning claxons sounded outside, just as the door to Drake's pod swung open. He leapt to his feet in relief.

"Thank god! I was starting to get really worried, Rom -" he stopped short as Roman dragged a dazed Emery in behind him, slammed the door shut hastily and peered outside through the blinds over the window, looking for SEU guards.

Drake cocked his head and grinned a devilish grin at the pair of them.

"Uh-huh. So… care to explain this, Roman?"


	31. Chapter 31

_**[It's my birthday, everyone! I prefer gifts of chocolate - and comments, of course. ;) Also, as my birthday present for all of you, I will be allowing the audience to decide a very important upcoming element of this story. You have until Thursday Midnight (Eastern) to share your preference, and v**__**oting officially begins NOW: is Aria related to Taylor, or is it just coincidence?**_ ]

_**...**_

Drake couldn't stop grinning at his friend's discomfort. He had tried a few times, biting his lips so he could at least look like he was listening to Roman recount what was so _obviously_ an edited timeline of the evening. Finally, he couldn't help himself.

"I'm sorry Ro, but you've been giving me so much grief, and now you're going to act like all _this_," he waved his hands expansively between Roman and Emery as they all stood around the kitchen island, "is just totally fine and normal?" He grinned again. "And you think I'm going to let you get away with that? No offense, Emery," he interjected, nodding at her respectfully, "But – I just can't help it. I am _loving_ this," he teased, punching Roman lightly.

Roman winced and rubbed at the offending shoulder, but smiled despite himself.

"All right, I know; I get it," he admitted. "I apologize for having wronged you. Now, can we focus please? We still have to get Emery out, before she's discovered by the SEU guards."

"Or Vega and her dogs," Drake added helpfully. Roman didn't need the reminder.

"Who's Vega?" Emery interrupted.

"Vega is Teri's mom. And if you think Teri's tough, you should meet the woman who gave birth to her," Drake explained. He was going out of his way to be overly kind to Emery, which irritated Roman, and Drake knew it. He so rarely had the upper hand on Roman; his friend should know not to expect kid gloves under the circumstances.

"Vega's the leader of the Trags," Roman added. "She would just love to catch you inside the Sector." He reached out for Emery and she closed the space between them without pause.

"Well there's nothing to be done tonight," Drake pointed out, finally sobering up. "Our tracking bracelets have us trapped in here until curfew lifts tomorrow morning. Are your friends okay?"

"Julia and Lukas? Yeah I think so, Roman was able to talk to them briefly. They'll be back in the morning." The repairs to the smuggler's tunnel had been extensive on both sides of the Sector wall, and Julia and Lukas had moved away from the area to avoid arousing suspicion. They were loitering nearby, at a section of chain link fencing, when Roman spotted them.

"Alright look, I'll slip out first thing in the morning, and see if Darla knows anything," Drake offered. Roman was too recognizable to move easily among the lowest of the Sector's inhabitants. Drake, on the other hand, knew most of them by first name. "I won't lie – this is going to be expensive." Roman nodded. Emery suddenly felt compelled to apologize for her recklessness. She had made both teenagers' lives difficult tonight, but neither of them would accept her apology. They insisted that she try to get some sleep, instead.

"You guys can have my room," Drake offered graciously. Roman had been using the couch, but that wouldn't fit two.

"Oh, no, that's not necessary," Emery stammered, feeling even more terrible than before. "You've already done so much. I never meant for all this to happen," she added with a worried frown.

"No, seriously it's fine. I've been crashing on Aria's floor recently anyway, so that room's just going to waste. There aren't even sheets on the bed right now."

Emery's brow furrowed.

"Aria? How many other Atrians are living here?" she asked, confused.

By way of explanation, Roman led her quietly down the hall and opened a door to a simply furnished room. There was a sleeping bag on the floor, beside the bed of a small child of perhaps three or four years. Emery inched into the room to get a better look, then gasped and turned to stare at the two friends watching her nervously from the doorway.

Back in the living room she tried to explain her reaction.

"Taylor and I have known each other for years. You don't know – our houses are separated by maybe a ten-minute walk." Roman glanced down at his feet, remembering all too well. "So trust me when I tell you, that _is_ Taylor. It's just… so crazy." She laughed in disbelief. "I guess Ms. Bensen was right – there must be a common ancestor between Atrians and humans somewhere."

…

The next morning crept up too quickly. There was little time to waste. The Sectors' smugglers appreciated the value of a good barrier – it helped keep supply and demand flowing in their favor – and they also knew what power lay in controlling the only exit. Fortunately Drake had managed to negotiate a guide who would take them to the newest hole in the "impermeable" Sector fence, one that had opened for business less than an hour after the SEU guards finished their welding.

Outfitted in an old gray sweatshirt from Drake's collection, Emery slipped in between the two protective Atrians as they wound their way to an abandoned manhole cover in an alley behind a collection of shops.

"Okay, make this quick guys, we'll look suspicious hanging out here too long," Drake cautioned. Emery slipped the sweatshirt over her head, thanked Drake profusely, and then turned to Roman. Suddenly she felt shy, and butterflies skittered through her gut at the thought of everything that had transpired. It had all been unexpected, unplanned; what about here, now, in front of his best friend?

Roman caught her by the waist, dragging her close and planting a tender kiss on her mouth. He pulled away before either of them wanted him to, and Emery was secretly thrilled by the unchecked desire she found when she searched his eyes.

"You have to get out of here," he whispered. "I'll see you again soon, I promise." He helped her down the ladder, fighting the urge to follow.

Drake could tell what he was thinking. "Your tracking bracelet," he warned simply, but it was enough. The boys replaced the manhole cover and headed home. Neither of them bothered to look up into the maze of walkways and bridges that spanned the alley, or they would have learned that Teri's bedroom window opened out onto this alley, that she was an early riser, and that she liked to watch the Sector awaken below her as she brushed her hair in the mornings.


	32. Chapter 32

Teri raged.

She threw things, and cursed (under her breath, so as not to wake her mother), and plotted the violent deaths of everyone she had watched below. Even as she railed, though, Teri also cried pitifully. Her lips curled and her nostrils flared in anger at the stupidity of her own weak reaction, but she could not deny it. Her heart belonged to Roman, had always belonged to Roman… and watching him in the arms of that skinny human bitch was the worst form of treachery. She hated that she still loved him, hated that it mattered to her at all. And _Drake_ – what a useless waste of skin he was! Not only had he fallen for a human of his own, he was now actively helping Roman. It was all just too much for one woman to bear. What could these ridiculous little human girls possibly have, that they were able to seduce Atrian men away from their own people?!

Teri reached for the door – she had to tell her mother immediately, so the Trags could mete out swift and unequivocal justice. But something made her pause:

_Vega would have Roman killed._

She would have no choice once she learned of this. Race-mixing… Roman and Drake would have to become examples. It's why Teri had never really bothered with her threat against Drake. Sure, he was stupid to fall for that blonde Taylor psycho, but she didn't actually want him dead… not really. Drake had been her big brother in so many ways, torturing her when she became too cocky, serving as confidant and comforting shoulder when Roman had ended it between them… she couldn't be the cause of his death. As for Roman… Even Nox had wanted them to be together, had hoped they would one day lead their people together. Teri was caught, tormented by the struggle between childhood bonds and her mother's demands of absolute loyalty to the Trags.

_No,_ she finally decided. Drake and Roman did not deserve death… but they needed to be taught a lesson. No need to involve the Trags, then, or upset Vega with any news of race-mixing. Teri could handle this one on her own.

She ran down to the grow-house without stopping to greet her mother. Which plant would be best suited… ? She wandered up and down the rows of multicolored vegetation, touching some, avoiding others, until she arrived at an innocuous leafy bush. Teri pursed her lips thoughtfully, and slid one finger along a scalloped edge. _Havthra_. Death would be… slow. Not painful, but that didn't matter. Cyper had no effect, and the Havthra poison took a week to shut down the system completely. A week… plenty of time for Roman to ponder his mistakes, to grieve for his whore, and then it would be time to remember his destiny.


	33. Chapter 33

_**[Woof. Those crazy kids. Anyone else feeling a need for some Draylor? Yeah? Me too.]**_

...

Taylor had nothing but an address. It didn't even make much sense, since the address led her to a little park on the edge of town she never knew existed. Edendale was not big enough to _have_ parks nobody remembered, and yet here it was. A gazebo, worn and stained and almost entirely hidden behind ancient magnolias, sat on a little island in the middle of the creek. A low whistle from the water's edge caused her to spin around, and she smiled wickedly to see Drake, leaning casually against the railing of a tiny wooden bridge. He straightened up then and, holding his hand out for her to take, led Taylor over the bridge to the island.

"How did you find this place?" Taylor asked in wonder as they made their way.

"It's not important," Drake answered. "I'm just happy you could make it."

She flashed her brilliant smile at him again.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she murmured, giving his arm a warm squeeze.

Under the eaves of the gazebo, a picnic from a storybook had been laid for them.

Taylor was not the kind of girl boys felt the need to woo. She was the kind of girl boys feared, or tried to conquer as proof of their masculine dominance. She had certainly never been invited to a private picnic lunch by any of the boys at their high school.

"How…?" she started again, and again Drake stopped her, this time with a tender kiss.

"But… I don't know if it's right, though."

"It's perfect," she sighed.

It was unusual to be so completely alone. Freed from their typical daily obstructions, the two were able to talk without fear. Drake finally had a chance to explain his parents' noticeable absence, and Aria's terrible tragedy. He was shocked to discover Taylor could empathize with the little girl's problems.

"My mother died shortly after Arrival Day. -No," she rushed to assure him, "not from the Atrians. It was just a stupid, stupid car accident. Anyway. I was really little, and Daddy tried to do it by himself, but for some reason he changed after the accident. He kind of turned off, you know? Little things started to slip his mind, like ballet recitals, or buying food. I totally remember what it's like to feel that lost."

"I didn't know," Drake responded somberly. He was sitting behind Taylor now, his arms around her waist, as she lounged on the steps of the little wooden structure tossing bread crumbs to the wild ducks that dotted the lawn in front of them. "How are you so calm about it?"

"I wasn't okay, for a long time. But then, when I was about 12, I decided I could live in the past, or build my future. I'm not going to stay in Edendale, Drake. I have plans." She leaned back against his shoulder and closed her eyes, and Drake was drawn in by her blissful smile. "I'm going to college far away, and then law school, and I'm getting the Hell out of this backwater, as soon as I can."

"Oh."

Only then did Taylor realize how her words must sound to a man who was locked in his home every night like a criminal. She winced and swore to herself silently. Then she straightened and half-turned, trying to see how much damage she had just done. Drake looked preoccupied, and his normally expressive mouth was a thin hard line.

"No, Drake, I didn't – That was before, I don't –" she fumbled for a few more seconds before he stepped in.

"It's fine. Yeah. Of course you would want to leave this place, I get it. It's a shit-hole, and… there's nothing to keep you here." Layered underneath his words, the glass-fragile bricks of a barely-dared-for dream were slowly crashing to the ground. He knew then that theirs was, and always would be, an uneven relationship. He had said it to her before – she had everything, could go anywhere. What could she possibly gain from wasting her time with him?

Taylor had to fix this. She had been lulled into sharing a childhood daydream, but Drake didn't understand how much that dream had changed since they'd found each other.

So she slapped him.

His eyes snapped to hers in shock, and she could tell it had worked.

"You fool," Taylor smiled warmly, placing her hands on his shoulders and facing him fully now, "You're coming with me, obviously." She hadn't even really understood it until she said it out loud, but once it was in the air it became _Real_. Taylor was the kind of girl who got what she wanted, and it was almost intoxicating to admit she had discovered what she _truly_ wanted.

Drake kissed her, unleashing all the pent-up frustrations of the past week on this single moment, until Taylor could take no more. She broke away, panting, and stared at him in wonder. A breeze blew through the trees that surrounded their secret rendezvous, and her skin shivered against the cool air. Taylor leaned into Drake for warmth – his skin always ran a few degrees warmer, she had noticed – and he curled his hands into her thick mane of gold, pulling her face back up to his.

This island was a happy place. It was theirs, a place nobody would ever find on accident. Taylor laughed with sheer joy now as she arched back, exposing her throat to Drake's hungry mouth. He enjoyed the way her body reacted in his hands, and as he removed each article of her clothing Drake worked hard to maintain his self-control, trying not to give in to his own need. Taylor seemed determined to thwart him, though; she pressed her body against his, clearly pleased with Drake's reaction every time her bare skin rubbed against one of his markings. When she licked her lips and planted them on the dark line that stretched over his collarbone, the exposed skin glowed blue lightly for a brief moment and Drake groaned.

"Blondie, now you've gone too far," he growled as he finally lost the last vestiges of control and gave in to her.


	34. Chapter 34

_[I feel bad that I've kept you all waiting for this, but I do have children, a husband, and a job! I post as quickly as I can, my hungry beasties. This is a biggie of a chapter, story-arc-wise. Please let me know your thoughts!]_

Roman was standing at the Sector gates, waiting impatiently for the buzzer that would signal their opening. He had to get to Emery, to make sure she was okay. If something had happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

Drake came jogging up just as the warning signal rent the peaceful Saturday morning air. He smiled at Roman and slowed to a walk, so the friends could stand together.

"How's Sophia?" Roman asked while they waited for the guards to register their bracelets. The bus was empty today – most of their friends had opted to stay inside the Sector for once.

"She's good. Aria likes her a lot, so I know they'll be fine." Drake was obviously thinking about Taylor, so Roman shut up and the two made the rest of the trip to town silently.

As soon as the doors opened, Drake was gone. Roman had gathered bits and pieces of Drake's plans for the day – something about a "real date" – but he had his own concerns right now. He needed to see Emery, at the very least to be assured of her safety.

Emery was out in her yard when Roman rounded the corner; she jumped at the sight of him, flashed a fleeting smile, and then gestured silently toward the shed with a nervous glance back at her house. Roman followed her cue, slipping inside the small building to wait for her. A moment later she joined him, closing the door gently behind her.

Lovers parted for years, each believing the other dead, could hardly have been happier to reunite.

"I was so worried you'd be discovered!" Emery whispered as she moved into him. "I've been trying to come up with a way to get back to you, but…" her voice faded and she frowned. "I've been grounded."

"Grounded?" Roman laughed as he held her. "I always thought that was just a joke, I didn't know people actually did that." He was stopped by the look she gave him.

"Haha, laugh then," Emery half-pouted, "It means I'm stuck at home all week. You could say I'm under house arrest, which I _thought _might bother you a little bit more." At that the young Atrian sobered.

"What happened?"

"Well, when we got back to Julia's house, my parents and Lukas' parents were waiting for us." Emery answered him, "And we did not have a very good explanation for where we had been all night."

"What explanation _did_ you give?"

"None. They're all pretty upset. I told my parents I wouldn't lie, but also that I couldn't answer them." Roman was impressed by Emery's strength of character, even against her own parents.

"Thank you for your integrity, but I feel like we've just found each other and now we're being pulled apart again," he sighed.

"I know," Emery sympathized, kissing his chin, "I can't help but think things would be so much easier if we were actually able to visit the Sector regularly. Imagine, being able to travel back and forth freely," Emery murmured.

Roman thought of Vega. Maybe Emery had a point. Sanctioned by the elders and the Iksen, officially protected by SEU guards, maybe the Trags could be convinced that a direct attack within the Sector would be bad for business.

"You know, I could always try to talk to Gloria. So far she's been calling all the shots on Integration, because Castor," the name seemed to cause him actual pain, "has been too busy dealing with Sector issues to focus on the program. Maybe it's time I stepped up my involvement."

Emery smiled. "Well, you have a week to figure it out. Until then, we'll only be seeing each other in school."

"Yes, but for now, Miss Whitehill, do you realize where we are?"

Together, the lovers looked around at their rendezvous spot. Almost nothing had changed in the ten years since their last time here together; but looking at it now, the space felt smaller than they remembered. Roman inhaled dramatically.

"Ah, I smell spaghetti!' He teased. Emery pushed his shoulder gently.

"Don't joke, Roman, this old shed changed my life! I just didn't know it then," she said.

"I did," Roman responded quietly, before leaning in to kiss the girl who saved him.

…

It had been hours. Drake and Taylor cleaned up what was left of their picnic and slowly made their way back across the bridge. Under other circumstances, neither would have been so reckless as to hold hands in public – but they had spent the better part of the day alone, naked, enjoying every minute of freedom. They simply forgot themselves; it could happen to anyone. They could not possibly have known that Taylor's stepmother, driving past the park's tiny pulloff on her way to an acupuncture appointment, had spotted her stepdaughter's car. She decided to pull over to see just what sort of trouble the wayward teenager had gotten herself into.

Drake and Taylor emerged from a copse of trees at the park's trailhead, oblivious to the world. They never stood a chance.

"Taylor!" The Dragon Lady's voice was shrill with excitement. Finally! Proof that the girl was just like her disgusting mother. Taylor looked up in horror and pushed Drake hard, trying to force him behind a tree, but it was all too late. The Dragon Lady had seen Drake, and she took several seconds to absorb all the implications of the scene. It was disturbing how much delight she appeared to take in her discovery.

"I knew it," she said smugly, "I always knew you were just like her. But I never imagined you would stoop this low, you stupid girl. An alien, Taylor? If I didn't have such respect for your father, I would haul your skinny behind to the center of town right now and let everyone know just who you've become!" Taylor stepped in front of Drake, not sure who she was protecting from whom.

"You wouldn't dare!" she snapped back.

Her stepmother paused for a moment to assess the situation more clearly.

"You're right, I wouldn't. Your father's re-election would never survive the scandal." She liked being a judge's wife too much to challenge that, at least. "But if you liked your freedom, young lady, too bad. I refuse to let you end up pregnant because some low-life sold you on a promise of true love and then skipped town! You will _not_ become your mother!" There was a panic to the Dragon Lady's eyes, as she realized she might have overstepped a boundary in her zeal.

"Marianne? What are you talking about?" Taylor finally croaked.

"I can't legally talk to you about this. It was in the pre-nup," the older woman answered bitterly. "But …Taylor, has anyone _ever_ told you that you look like your father? … No? … And doesn't that strike you as a little odd?"

…

Roman was waiting at the door to Gloria's office first thing Monday, and when she arrived he swallowed his anger for Emery's sake and tried a smile. Gloria looked at him askance, and then smiled back in understanding.

"Roman, it's okay, you don't have to pretend to like me. I think we'll both be more comfortable if we're just honest with each other, don't you?"

Roman decided to let that slide. For now.

"Gloria, I know you've been taking on more of the responsibility for Integration since my father's passing. And since Castor has his own problems to deal with in the Sector, I thought maybe it was time for me to step up."

She was taken back by his offer. Roman had made his feelings toward her clear, time after time.

"What exactly are we talking about here?" She asked cautiously.

"The humans have made a show of trust, allowing the Atrian 7 into school and more recently, into the town. If I could convince the elders to allow it, how would you feel about some reciprocity? I have been thinking that if the Sector were open to humans – on a limited basis, mind you – it might show hate groups like the Redhawks that we Atrians consider integration a two-way street. Perhaps it could turn some public sentiment our way."

"Roman…" Gloria shook her head and sighed. "It sounds very risky. I mean, what about the Trags? Letting them have unfettered access to humans could blow up in our faces. _Literally_."

"I disagree." Roman shook his head. "I think we've been approaching the situation with the Trags all wrong. They wouldn't dare go after a human in the Sector, if the elders had approved their presence. My father's death was a rallying point for them initially, but since then they've proven to be cowards, not heroes. Their lack of success has worked in our favor, Gloria."

She needed time to think. Roman's suggestion had come out of the blue, and while it had been Nox's intention to reach this point some day, Gloria had shied away from it ever since his death. She walked over to the window, trying to gain some perspective.

Below was the parking lot, where the last of the students were gathering before their week began. Her eye was drawn to Drake, leaning against a tree by Taylor's car. The two were discussing something distressing, that much was obvious; they had also become less careful of observers, apparently. At one point, Drake reached out for Taylor's hand but she rebuffed him; as she turned away from the Atrian, Gloria saw – and recognized – the torment the girl was feeling.

"Okay," she sighed, "I can't make any promises, Roman, but I will see what I can do. Frankly, it is a suggestion your father would have made, as well."


	35. Chapter 35

**_[Oh, you guys are going to hate me. Please don't.]_**

Aria had the best view of the guards' station, perched as she was on Drake's shoulders. Roman struggled to maintain an air of dignified patience, although when he thought nobody was looking he stretched up on his toes for a better view. Human guests were a rarity in the Sector; in 10 years there had been only a handful of visits, and always to officially sanctioned areas. It was no wonder an audience had gathered at the gates this Saturday morning.

Ten human teenagers were finally escorted through the gates and left unceremoniously just inside the Sector walls, to fend for themselves. Several of the students grouped themselves into a tight ball of maudlin curiosity and rumbled toward the main boulevard, where industrious open-air vendors awaited them and their thick human wallets. Sophia broke through the crush, grabbed Lukas and Julia and they headed off with barely a backward glance at Emery, who found herself standing by a slightly disgruntled Taylor.

"I thought you were here to go shopping," Emery began with a friendly smile. She wanted Roman to herself – why was Taylor still hanging around?

"Oh, no, I'm here to meet… someone…" Taylor's voice faded and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Emery did not need to know details. Why wasn't she off with Lukas and Julia, anyway?

The girls eyed each other warily; there was something fishy about this…

Roman and Drake watched them from a few yards away, cautious of what could happen. It was Aria who broke the impasse.

"Taylor!" she shouted happily. Both teens' heads snapped toward their favorite little girl, and Roman smiled as he watched Emery mentally connect the dots. Taylor was already kneeling down, gushing at Aria who clambered down Drake's arms and raced forward.

"Hey there! I missed you, cutie!" Taylor cooed. She pulled a beautifully-wrapped gift out of her purse and smiled with delight when Aria opened the small box to reveal two matching necklaces. Drake stepped forward protectively and helped fasten the smaller one around Aria's throat. The girls proudly showed off their matching heart pendants to Roman and Drake, before setting off for Drake's pod hand in hand.

Emery stared after them. Roman slipped up beside her and gently closed her mouth with his thumb.

"Wow," Emery giggled. "When did _that_ happen?" Roman looked around them. The crowd had dwindled, but there were still enough curious onlookers to make him uncomfortable.

"Let's find a better place to talk," he murmured. Emery was knocked out of her misty reverie by Roman's warning tone. Right. There might be extra SEU guards, and temporary tracking bracelets for each human guest, but this was still Trag territory despite Roman and Gloria's best efforts. Drake led them back toward his pod silently. He was clearly tense being so far away from Aria and Taylor – Roman could see it in the way he carried his shoulders – but true to form, Drake was not going to leave Emery unprotected.

Roman marveled at his friend's transformation. He had to credit Taylor: she had changed his attitude toward humans tremendously. Would anyone have believed, a month ago, that this former Trag would be volunteering as a personal security force for the girl whose father killed Nox? Drake's intense loyalty never ceased to impress Roman. Even during the lowest point of their friendship, when it looked like Drake had lost his way completely and was destined to serve as fodder in Vega's ill-conceived war, Roman had absolute faith in Drake's loyalty to him, at least.

Taylor and Aria were on the floor painting with watercolors when the rest of their group arrived. As soon as the door closed behind them, Drake dropped down next to Taylor and kissed her lovingly, placing a hand on the small of her back. That hand stayed firmly, protectively in place as he turned to look at the girls' latest creation.

Watching them, Roman was returned once again to the role of the outsider. A knot formed in his throat and he fought to keep it in place. This was Drake's space: he had found his family; it was not his fault that Roman's own home was falling apart. Sophia had eked out a strange life for herself in Maia's pod, but Roman could not bring himself to return while Castor continued to make a mockery of their laws.

He was brought out of his reverie by Emery's gentle kiss. He shook his head lightly and smiled an apology.

…

"I'm still having a hard time believing it all," Emery laughed at Taylor. They were washing dishes after lunch, while Drake and Roman played with Aria.

"I guess it's true – the heart wants what it wants," Taylor shrugged and smiled. She paused with a towel in one hand and a dish in the other, leaning back against the counter to watch the scene in the living area. There was a sadness in Taylor's eyes that Emery hadn't seen in years, since before she went into the hospital. Taylor had changed so much in the intervening time that Emery had not even recognized her at first. This look, though: Emery remembered this Taylor. Despite herself, she reached out and embraced her old friend.

"Thanks, sweetie," Taylor said and hugged her back. "I'll be okay. I just have to figure out what happens next, you know?" The girls turned back to the dishes as Taylor explained. The problem with Marianne's discovery last week, Taylor shared, was that she now had just the ammunition she needed to torment Taylor. Life had become unbearable in the judge's home, and Taylor was starting to show the strain. Up close, Emery could see the expertly-applied makeup that hid dark circles of sleeplessness. She realized Taylor had also lost weight recently, and felt bad for not taking more notice earlier.

"I really shouldn't even be here today; Marianne wouldn't want me here but Gloria agreed to sign the permission slip instead," Taylor confessed as they finished up and hung the towels to dry. "She's been so nice – I always thought she was a little crazy but really, we're so lucky she's been helping us," the elegant blonde continued.

Together, they leaned across the kitchen island to see what fresh torture Aria had dreamed up for the boys. Emery pushed her shoulder against Taylor's in quiet solidarity.

"I'm glad there's someone who can understand," Taylor whispered in response to Emery's unspoken assurance.

The moment ended when Drake revealed Aria's latest masterpiece: Roman's long bangs had been tied up in three haphazard ponytails; Emery gasped and giggled at the sight, while Roman mugged happily for the little girl. Something happened to Emery whenever she watched Roman around children. Her body inevitably betrayed her; every time, a small hot ball of need materialized in her womb. She bit her lips now to hide the reaction. How unfair of her, she thought, to burden Roman with the knowledge that she hoped one day to be a parent with him. Their world was one of simmering, barely-controlled violence and uncertainty. Roman had already taken so much of it upon himself, and he struggled daily to keep this unstable peace around them. There was no realistic way she could also ask him to make it safe enough that they might one day have children.

To mask her turmoil, Emery grabbed Aria and picked her up in a big hug. She set the little girl on the counter next to Taylor. They really looked shockingly alike. Taylor fingered the necklace at Aria's throat and the two chatted comfortably. Aria's English was improving every day, although she was still more comfortable communicating in Sondiv. Emery sidled up next to Roman and quietly asked how much longer he would be keeping his hair like that? Roman grinned at her.

"I actually thought I'd have Aria do my hair for school on Monday," he teased.

"Um, Drake, I think something's wrong," Taylor suddenly called out. There was an edge to her voice. Everyone gathered around Aria, who stared at them all in confusion.

"What is it? Is she hurt? Did something happen? Aria, are you hurt honey?" In his agitation, Drake barely left room for answers. Taylor's hand on his forearm finally centered him.

"I think… it's her hearts…" Taylor explained, trying to stay calm. "You know how your hearts sound, right?" Drake shrugged an "I guess so," and waited for more.

"Well, listen to Aria's hearts," she said nervously. With an anxious glance at Roman, Drake leaned close to the whimpering child and listened carefully. He pulled away suddenly, his nostrils flaring with the effort to stay calm. He placed one hand on Aria's golden head and smiled at her, calming her with low gentle words. Once she felt safe again, he asked Roman to listen too.

Their eyes met while Roman was still bent to Aria's chest, and he silently mouthed two words: "Elders. Now."


	36. Chapter 36

_**[I hope this makes it all better, if you **_**did**_** hate me after that last chapter. Please keep up the comments; they make me feel generous!]**_

Gloria Garcia threw her reading glasses down and pushed away from her desk. She knew she should have gone home hours ago, but first: What was the point now that it was an empty home? – and second: This was important. She had to understand the implications of what she was reading, if she was going to be successful in nurturing this latest little plan along to fruition.

Her mother was barely talking to her these days. Since sending her son to safety in Eljida, Gloria had thrown herself into work with a fervent zeal that scared those closest to her. She couldn't care what they thought, though. Being separated from her child was a constant, unrelenting, self-imposed excoriation. The only respite would come with Integration and reunification. So she pressed on, barely eating, rarely sleeping, fighting with every fiber of her being for a day they could be together again.

She realized she had started pacing in the darkening office, and forced herself to regain control. With a sigh, Gloria returned to the old county records.

Of this much she was certain: Taylor was not the judge's daughter. There was absolutely no medical evidence linking them, even without a DNA test; Gloria thanked her stars once again for the security clearances she had been granted as part of this program. She should not have been able to access a family's medical records and yet, here she was, staring at Taylor's blood type. O negative. But the judge's blood was type AB positive. It had been a while since her last genetics class, but a little internet research helped confirm that an AB parent could not produce an O negative child. It just couldn't happen.

Maybe Marianne had been right all these years! Gloria laughed at the thought. That woman had spent nearly a decade dragging her predecessor's name through the mud at every social function and fundraising gala, all while claiming she was a neutral party and would never be caught gossiping about events of the past. In the dark emptiness of her office, Gloria allowed herself the confession: she hated that woman. Marianne tore others down instead of building them up, and Gloria had no time for such nonsense.

She would take personal pleasure in removing Taylor from under that woman's grasp. All it would take, if she had the strength, was an unavoidable phone call and an inevitable meeting. But first, back to a bit more research...

…

While there may have been historic meetings with greater stakes on the line (back in the old days of the Cold War, for example), one would be hard pressed to find a meeting filled with more tension. Neither woman was under the impression that the other was a friend; they had been subtly trying to outplay each other for too long. Gloria, knowing she finally had her checkmate, opted to be the gracious host. She held her hand out to Marianne and smiled tightly.

"Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice," Gloria began. Marianne sat on the edge of her chair, as if afraid some pestilence might infect her should she actually touch anything. She looked critically at the space and smiled acerbically.

"Love what you've done with the place. I hear 'Institutional' is going to be very big in design circles in a few decades," she jabbed. Gloria rolled her eyes behind the woman's back as she slid aside a panel on the bookshelf near the window. She pulled out two glasses and a bottle.

"Drink?" she offered with an arched brow.

Once the formalities were out of the way, and any pleasantries they could muster had been uttered, Gloria presented Marianne with her findings. Taylor was not the judge's daughter, as Marianne had always suspected. A Baton Rouge hospital had records showing that a little over 17 years ago, Taylor's mother had walked into their ER claiming she was raped. She gave birth nine months later, but always refused to file a report because she did not want the crime to haunt her daughter. At the time of her death in that tragic car accident, the child had effectively been orphaned.

Gloria wanted to thank Marianne and her husband for their years of kindness, serving as such wonderful foster parents. In fact, it turned out the state owed the couple some back fees – nothing extravagant, just that which was due every foster family. She would be sure the check was hand-delivered first thing in the morning. As for Taylor's future, well, she had just been declared an orphan officially. Given her age, the state would be granting her emancipated minor status effective immediately. Would Marianne prefer to discuss this news with Taylor herself, or would she like Gloria to handle that part?

Marianne's eyes narrowed.

"You can't do this to me," she answered.

"I didn't do anything to you, Marianne. You've been complaining about Taylor's lineage for years, and I merely took it upon myself, as a concerned friend, to look more closely into your claims. It turns out there _was_ something, where I had always believed there was nothing."

"Is this because I said I couldn't support Integration?" Marianne was no longer concerned about the state of the chair. She leaned back in distress. "Jesus, Gloria, you don't always have to take everything I say so personally." She smiled, but it had the wrong effect. The woman was trying to _backpedal_. It was… sad.

"I really don't understand this reaction," Gloria continued, as the corner of her mouth twitched up. "I thought you would be relieved by this news." She turned to put the bottle back. _Check._

"Oh! I almost forgot," she gasped, turning back and not bothering to hide her smile now, "Taylor's inheritance! Her mother was the only heir to the Langeford Estate, wasn't she?" _Mate._

Marianne still had some fight left in her.

"You wouldn't do this to the judge," she whispered. "You can't. It might kill him, and on the eve of his re-election, no less." Gloria had expected this; she did truly care for the judge, who had proven himself to be an honorable man.

"Marianne, you and I both know this will be his last term. The dementia won't be so easy to disguise in another year or two. And something tells me, bloodline or no, Taylor will make sure _he_ is always taken care of."

…

The elders were staring at the odd collection of youngsters in front of them. It was impossible to read their faces as Drake spoke, fighting to keep the fear out of his voice.

When he finished, the Vwasak elder held out his hand for the child. Drake whispered an encouragement to her and passed her over, then stepped back. Even Roman stepped away from the young warrior just a hint; it was clear that all his energy was focused on staying calm for Aria's sake. The air fairly vibrated with the force of him.

The Iwabas elder - a tiny sliver of a woman - leaned against Aria to listen, then sat back silently. She nodded at her peers but still said nothing. It fell upon the Vwasak elder to explain.

He opened his mouth to speak but after one look at Drake's eyes, paused. First he released Aria - and watched as she clambered quickly up her guardian, returning to her perch above his shoulders as though nothing had happened.

"Drake, we do not like to leave our little ones abandoned in the streets," the elder began. "I'm sure you found it as unusual as we did, that this girl had slipped through the cracks. So after I granted you temporary guardianship, I did my own investigating.

"There was a grandmother, as you know. The only one left. So many of our tribe, especially, were lost on Arrival Day; for Aria's family, it seems the casualties were heavier than for most. That her parents found each other at all is a wonderful mystery and a gift. Unfortunately they were unable to have children." The four teens, enthralled by the elder's sonorous voice, balked at this obvious fallacy. The adults, however, glanced at each other in understanding. The elder continued.

"It can happen sometimes, that one partner is barren. In this case, it appears the fault lay with the husband. According to the grandmother's memories," he nodded an acknowledgement to the Iwabas woman, "which my dear friend was able to extract after much effort, this child's mother was quite striking. And as used to happen sometimes, before Mr. Ray Whitehill assumed leadership of the SEU, she drew the unwanted attention of a security officer." Emery and Taylor gasped in shocked understanding, but for Roman and Drake it took a moment longer. The Vwasak man sighed and tried again.

"She was raped. By a human guard. This child is the result of that crime. She is not in any way ill; she has only one heart, just as her human father does."


	37. Chapter 37

Roman and Drake had never before paid this much attention in biology class. Ms. Benton's soothing voice had put a few students to sleep; even her tight dresses and perky cleavage weren't enough to keep Eric and his friends interested today. It didn't hurt that the topic was Atrian anatomy, something the Redhawks found pointless and occasionally even offensive.

Aria's physiology was a mystery to everyone involved in her life. Medical services in the Sector were sufficient but not extravagant – the vast majority of ailments were treated with a visit to the healers of the Iwabas tribe. In addition, Aria's mother had actively tried not to draw attention to her special circumstances, so she rarely took the child with her when she needed something from them. Aria had passed as a full Atrian for years; now Drake and Roman had taken it upon themselves to remedy that.

Roman tried to think of a subtle way to bring up a few of his most pressing questions; Drake opted instead for an approach with which he was more comfortable.

"So, hang on," Darke interrupted without raising his hand, "What happens if an Atrian and a human actually do get it on?" There was a low snicker from the back of the class. Ms. Benton shot the student a warning look and then turned to Drake.

"Well, Drake, that's not actually relevant to our current topic," she reminded him, tapping the screen behind her where a blow-up of the Atrian respiratory system was displayed. Roman swooped in to help.

"Actually it could be," he interjected. "If a human and an Atrian had a kid." There was a general up-tick in enthusiasm from the students at the suggestion, and Ms. Benton was savvy enough to know how to capitalize on that.

"Okay, interesting. Explain," she encouraged, tilting her head to one side and opening her arms to the class, signaling her willingness to hear more. Other students began piping up, and as the questions flew, she made notes on the screen.

"Would their skin breathe?"

"Would they have those crazy markings?"

"Would their markings still glow, if they had any?"

"Would they belong to a tribe?"

"Would they live with humans, or Atrians?" - Ms. Benton turned around at that, unsure who had asked it.

"Not really related to biology, but thanks for the effort," she called out.

"What about hearts? How many hearts would they have?" Roman tossed in quickly, glaring at Drake once Ms. Benton had turned back to the board. _Real smooth,_ he mouthed.

"Oh yeah! And lungs! Like, would there be three or something?"

"Would they be able to keep up with Sophia in the pool?" someone added, and the whole class laughed. Ms. Benton smiled to herself, making a mental note to tell Gloria about the sense of camaraderie that had overtaken these students today, however briefly.

She cleared her throat for attention.

"These are all excellent questions. The unfortunate truth is, we don't have a lot of answers. There are no documented cases of human-Atrian hybrids for study, so the scientific community is nearly as uncertain as you all are." She could tell from the disappointed groans that this was not the answer they wanted. "However, we _can _extrapolate, based on our most knowledge of the nature of genetics, and come up with some reasonable hypotheses." Ms. Benton pursed her lips, tapped her finger thoughtfully against her chin, and then nodded decisively.

"Okay guys, I can work with this. Independent research projects, deal? Using, as the basis for your research, the following questions: given our current knowledge, what would a hypothetical mixed human-Atrian child look like? And, how would its internal organs be structured?" The bell rang, and Ms. Benton glanced with a frustrated sigh at the time. "I'll break you up into your research groups tomorrow. Please read chapter 7 for homework, in the meantime!" She had to raise her voice slightly at the end, since the buzz of excited discussion threatened to drown her out.

"It sounds like a really interesting research topic!" Sophia gushed to Julia and Lukas as the students moved into the hallway. Roman signaled Drake and the two hung back for a moment.

"Did you catch that comment she made?" he asked under his breath.

"What? You mean, 'no documented cases of _hybrids for study_'? How could I miss it?" Drake frowned. "We can't let anyone else know about Aria. It's too dangerous."

…

Taylor finally found a chance to talk to Drake, in his last period study hall. She held the paperwork out proudly for him to read. He scanned the top page quickly, cocked his head at her in confusion, and read it again more carefully.

"What's an 'emancipated minor'? And ...what's a... 'writ of habeas corpus'? What _language_ is this? …I don't understand half the stuff in here," he complained quietly. "Please just tell me what's going on."

"I'm free," Taylor whispered. Her eyes were shining more brightly than Drake had ever seen, and she almost reached across the desk to kiss him but managed to stop herself. The study hall was mostly freshmen. At this point, they were all huddled on one side of the room, staring with a "deer in the headlights" look at the pair of juniors. Clearly, the single most terrifying experience of their short lives was being stuck in this enclosed space with _both_ The Incredible Atrian Hulk _and _the Queen Bee. Taylor looked around haughtily, found a group of girls and randomly picked out one.

"Nice top," she commented flatly before turning back to Drake. It worked. She could hear the sighs and murmurs from across the room as that top instantly became the most important fashion item in their collective wardrobe.

Drake stared at her in admiration.

"That shouldn't be possible," he pointed out. She shrugged dismissively.

"I know. But it works for me. Look, that was just to distract them from us. The point is, I'm done with the Dragon Lady! Gloria told me this weekend, but the papers came in today. She's friends with the D.A. so he appointed her my advocate, but she said that's just a formality. We're going to look for apartments this afternoon! Do you want to come with me? It would be so great to have you there," she pleaded, wrapping her hands over his and tilting her head coyly. Drake sighed and pulled back reluctantly.

"Taylor, I'd really like to, but... I have to get back to Aria." Taylor knew he was right, and she tried not to be jealous of Drake's double life - but some days were harder than others. She frowned without meaning to, then excused herself, saying she needed to find Emery to share the news. Drake tightened his fists as he struggled to keep his frustrations in check. He nodded at her and went back to his math homework.

Taylor found Emery sidling out of a tiny broom closet, a guilty look on her face. She jumped when Taylor called her name, and glanced back toward the door quickly, blushing.

"Ohhh!" Taylor smiled in understanding. "Hey, the coast is clear, Roman, just come out!" Taylor called impatiently. She would share her news with anyone she could.

Roman read the papers to himself a few times, finding the legal jargon confusingly redundant. Emery, meanwhile, hugged Taylor gently and asked about what would happen next; Roman had a different question on his mind.

"So, according to all this, you don't know who your father is?"

"Yes, but _clearly_ he was a dick, so why would I want to?" Taylor retorted. Roman sighed. He was happy for Drake, no question, but he still found Taylor a little slow on the uptake sometimes.

"Because, Taylor, what if he's the same person who also… you know… Aria's mother?" Roman tried to explain. "You have to admit, the resemblance between you two is pretty striking."

Taylor's eyes grew rounder as she pondered this.

"Do you really think it's possible? That I have a sister? We're over 12 years apart."

"Yes, I really think it's possible." Roman had to abandon subtlety in favor of the direct approach with Taylor. "I think men who do… that… don't stop at one woman."

Emery watched Taylor's face closely. She could tell the blonde girl was struggling with the ramifications of Roman's theory.

"Taylor, that's not something to worry about right now," she interjected, shooting Roman an annoyed look. "You have enough to deal with. Get yourself settled first, then we can focus on everything else." Taylor nodded gratefully to Emery and then, as the bell rang, headed for her locker. Roman and Emery watched her walk away, each troubled by Taylor's news but for different reasons.

Roman couldn't imagine his life without Sophia. If it was possible Aria and Taylor were sisters, they deserved to know that right away. They shouldn't waste another moment apart. Emery clearly didn't agree; as an only child, though, he understood she might not be able to have the proper perspective.

Emery was much more focused on the teenage girl's immediate needs. She had never seen Taylor spend money on anything other than clothes. Did she even know how to budget? Had she ever cooked for herself before? And would she need to get a job? Emery felt, and dismissed, a tiny grain of irritation at Roman's insensitivity to the current situation. They would discuss it later, when the world was just the two of them again.

As the halls filled with students, Roman pressed the back of his hand lightly against the back of Emery's and quietly slipped away. Under the circumstances it was such a daring move that Emery shivered in delight at the illicit touch. She resisted the white-hot tug in the pit of her stomach, the one telling her to _just go after him, dammit_, and turned to her locker. Julia and Lukas were already waiting there, eager to discuss Ms. Benton's project.

"So as you can imagine," Lukas began with a self-deprecating laugh, "I've already been thinking about how we should approach this. I think we should focus on one particular aspect of the child's anatomy, and really dig into it. Like the child's senses, for example. Did you even know Atrians can see into the UV spectrum? I'm sure there are plenty of other differences betwe -" Julia held one hand in front of Lukas to slow him down.

"Whoa there, cowboy," she laughed. "Ms. Benton hasn't even assigned us our groups. What makes you think we'll be together?"

"I just figured she'd end up letting us choose our groups," Lukas shrugged dismissively.

…

Lukas was wrong. In class the next day, Emery sat with the rest of her independent research team to brainstorm the assignment. She offered to take notes, and began by entering the names of the five group members onto her tablet:

Emery. Julia. Roman. Teri. Grayson.


	38. Chapter 38

"She knows, Roman."

"No, she doesn't. She suspects. It's different."

"I think you're wrong."

Roman sighed and kissed Emery's bare shoulder. He had not previously considered the possibility that he would one day be defending Teri's behavior to Emery, but here they were.

"Teri and I have… history," he finally admitted. He watched Emery tense up, and even though he knew it was wrong he couldn't help feeling kind of _glad_ to see her reaction. She was jealous! It was oddly reassuring. And maybe, in a very tiny (and very dark) corner of his heart, he also felt that a sort of imbalance had been corrected.

"Hey now, don't forget that I had to actually _watch_ while Grayson pawed at you," he murmured as his lips brushed Emery's furrowed brow. She looked at him with real concern then.

"I will happily spend forever making that up to you," she offered, and her eyes dropped to his warm, inviting lips. She leaned forward in anticipation; Roman leaned back just enough, teasing her, until she let out a tiny whimper of frustration. The sound always triggered something in him, something animal. They sank onto the floor of the shed, and in their driving need for each other they knocked over a shovel, which hit the lawn mower with a resonant clang. The lovers froze, Roman with his shirt halfway off, Emery's skirt pushed up to her waist, and listened for any indication of discovery. After an interminable minute, Roman finally whispered that he would just double-check.

The moment was already lost; Emery reassembled herself while Roman peeked outside to make sure they were still alone.

"I hate this," he sighed, sitting down on the seat of the John Deere. "I am the happiest, and the luckiest, man I know - and I want to be able to show you off to everyone, but we can't." Emery dropped into his lap, leaning back on the steering wheel to see him better, and smiled brilliantly.

"You want to show me off?"

"_Any _man would want to show you off," Roman answered honestly. He played with the hem of her shirt, running his fingers along the skin beneath. Emery sighed with pleasure and tried to focus.

"You know we have to get ready. Everyone will be here soon," she warned him. Julia had graciously taken charge of their research group after Ms. Benton assigned them to work with Grayson and Teri, but a week and a half later things were still just as tense between the five teens. Julia's brightest move had been sending everyone off with their own jobs to do, and only meeting once a week.

Roman's features darkened.

"What time did you tell them again? 5:30?" Emery simply nodded.

"I still think it could have been held somewhere else," Roman complained. He could be so stubborn sometimes. "You didn't have to invite everyone to your house. You can be so stubborn sometimes!"

"Roman, it will be fine," Emery sighed, already tensing up at the thought of rehashing this argument. "Like I said, the only thing I'm worried about is Teri. We _have_ to be more careful around her."

"Really, Emery? You're just worried about Teri? Because I'm much more concerned about your Redhawk ex-boyfriend!" Roman couldn't hide his irritation now, either. He hadn't meant to snap at her, but it was too late.

"Well, _your_ ex-girlfriend seems like she's one bad excuse away from joining her mother and the Trags!" she shot back.

"I guess we'd better not give her any excuse, then," Roman said. Emery caught the tone, but she was still feeling the stabs of her earlier jealousy.

"I guess we'd better not!" she snapped. She swung off the lawn mower and pushed out of the shed, heading angrily for the house.

Julia was the first to arrive, and it was obvious from her face that she immediately noticed the tension between her two friends. She wasn't at all surprised. The pressure of working in such close proximity with both Grayson and Teri for the past week had started taking its toll from day one, and grown from there.

"Alright, you two, let's take these snacks into the living room. And then you both have to get _much _better at acting, fast. Because I want you to fool _me_ into thinking you don't actually care enough about each other to be this upset," Julia chided them. Roman opened his mouth to comment but the doorbell rang, and then Teri and Grayson walked in together.

It would have been funny to watch, had the stakes not been so high. Neither classmate felt comfortable in the presence of the other, but both of them were trying desperately to hide the fact. The result was a frigid kind of super-formality, layered painfully over banal comments about the weather, the school's chances of making All State next year, the Whitehills' color scheme for their living room, anything devoid of the potential for disagreement. Teri's delicate nostrils flared every time Grayson moved too close, as though she worried he might contaminate her air. Grayson was clearly the better actor. He smiled at her with just the right balance of friendliness and polite disinterest, and held her gaze lightly whenever she spoke.

The group gathered around the Whitehills' coffee table to prepare for their presentation tomorrow. Grayson and Teri were on the loveseat; Roman, Julia, and Emery each grabbed nearby chairs.

Emery, still writhing from her earlier confrontation with Roman, chose to focus on Grayson instead. At one point Teri reached across him to grab a notepad on the end table, and it was the first time Emery caught him with his guard down. As Teri stretched, Grayson flinched and leaned way back, avoiding any contact with her body. He was not Emery's responsibility any more, she knew that, but it still bothered her to see this change in his attitude. She had hoped time would heal his wounds, but that did not appear to be the case.

For his part, Grayson tried not to breathe as Teri stretched her lithe, perfect body across to grab a notepad from the end table. He hated everything she represented. He wanted them all out of his life. And he hated himself for the physical reaction she had caused in him, because he knew it was a sickness to be attracted to these creatures. It was unnatural. Her breasts, now inches from his knee, should have no affect on him; that they did was intensely disturbing.

It was bad enough, sitting across from Emery and watching her fawn over Roman. Oh sure, they tried to keep it discreet, sticking poor Julia in the middle to referee, but when Emery thought nobody was watching she looked at Roman like she was a bitch in heat. Grayson hated this assignment. He never wanted to think about mixed human/Atrian children, ever again, for the rest of his life. The past week had been torture after fresh torture, because try as he might to change it, the image his brain called forth every time the subject came up was Emery, giving tortured birth to a shrieking, speckled half-human monster.

Teri was out of her element. The boy next to her seemed to be getting physically ill. If he vomited on her, she would have no choice but to go psycho bitch on everyone here; let them all be warned. Not that she blamed him. Watching the lovers made her feel a little sick too.

It was bad enough, sitting across from Roman and watching him pant after Emery. Oh sure, they tried to keep it discreet, sticking that poor sickly one in the middle, but when he thought nobody was watching Roman looked at Emery like he wanted to throw her across the coffee table and ravage her right there, while everyone watched. Teri hated this assignment. She never wanted to think about mixed human/Atrian children, ever again, for the rest of her life. The past week had only strengthened her resolve to deal with Emery swiftly, because try as she might to change it, the image her brain called forth every time the subject came up was Roman, eyes glistening with love as he cradled a slimy, unmarked half-Atrian monster.

_Thank goodness for Julia,_ Roman thought. The rest of the group was floundering, caught up in their emotional struggles. If they did well on tomorrow's presentation it would all be thanks to Julia's efforts tonight. She had managed to consolidate everyone's work, and was now assigning presentation duties to each member of the group. Roman and Emery would do the majority of the speaking, and then Grayson would take over for the Q&A period, and Teri – this, Roman thought, showed real foresight on Julia's part – would be in charge of "visuals". She asked what that meant, and seemed relieved when Julia explained that pretty much she'd just be hitting play on the slideshow. Julia herself would probably be asleep, she joked, since there were still so many slides to edit tonight and she hadn't even double-checked their works cited list yet. At the last minute Grayson suddenly asked what would happen if someone got sick and was absent. Would the presentation be postponed?

"I doubt it," Julia answered slowly with a thoughtful frown. "I think if someone is absent, we'll just make it through the best we can." She sighed. "We better hope Ms. Benton gives a lot of points for the quality of the research, not just the quality of the presentation. Because Lukas will definitely blow us out of the water. Have you seen what he can do with those holographic slides? It's so unfair!"

Teri stood up abruptly.

"So, are we done? Because I have somewhere to be," she stated as she grabbed her bag off the floor.

"Um, sure, I guess so," Julia responded in surprise. "Roman and Emery should practice their speeches, but we don't all have to stay just for that."

"No, I agree, that is not something we all need to see," Grayson piped up, jumping to his feet as well. "Good night everyone." He was out the door before anyone could reply.

Teri looked at Julia and surprised herself when she managed an authentic sentiment: "Thanks for all the work you did." She headed for the door as well, but stopped a few feet away.

"Oh, Emery, I almost forgot. I heard there's this human custom where you bring a gift the first time you visit someone's house. So here," she said quickly, shoving a small package at Emery, "I made this for you." With that, she too was gone.

Emery stared at Julia and Roman in shocked disbelief, and a smile slowly spread across Roman's face.

"I will _not_," he whispered, pausing to kiss her on the cheek, "say I told you so. But I did," he winked. He began clearing the dishes of uneaten food off the coffee table, and Emery laughed in relief.

"Okay, I admit it, I really did not expect that from Teri. I wonder what it is?" She began to open the box, but Roman stopped her.

"Listen – if it's food, just throw it away," he warned. Julia stared at him in alarm.

"Why? Do you think it could be poisoned?"

"Well no… not intentionally… But I've had experience with Teri's cooking. It's probably best if nobody else has to be subjected to it." By now Emery had slipped the ribbon off and lifted the lid to reveal several … maybe they were meant to be cookies? … of dubious quality.

"Okay, now I _will_ say I told you so," Roman groaned and grabbed the box. He tossed it in the trash and turned back to Emery, reaching for her hand. "I am so sorry for the way I acted earlier," he said gently. "It was unfair of me to burden you like that."

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions," Emery apologized, running her thumb along Roman's gently.

Finally Julia had had enough. "Oh my god you two, I actually _like _you together, and even I want to run out of this house after Grayson and Teri!"

Roman arched an eyebrow at Julia, and she could tell he was wondering why she _hadn't_ left yet.

"Traitors," Julia grumbled as she gathered her things. "At least promise me you'll practice your speeches? Just _one_ time? …No, two! Two times!" she called from the doorway on her way out.


	39. Chapter 39

**_[I am a terrible person and forgot to thank Marina Black1 for all the beta assistance on Chapter 38; since she has done such an amazing job with this chapter as well, I hope I am not too late! If you're looking for a great meaty read, pretty much any of her stories will do it for you.]_**

...

Julia and Emery glanced at each other nervously as the bell for first period rang. Grayson still hadn't arrived.

"I guess he really wasn't feeling well. Remember, he asked what we'd do if someone was absent?" Julia offered.

"Yeah, but he seemed okay," Emery answered with a thoughtful twist of the mouth. "Well, maybe he'll show up later."

They looked for him in between classes but he never materialized. By the time lunch rolled around, the group had to call a hasty meeting. Since Julia had reviewed everyone's notes already, she volunteered to take on Grayson's Q&A section.

"Unless you want to do it," She offered Teri in a querulous voice.

"Nope. I'm good." Teri had her own issues to deal with, and this assignment was not high on her priority list. Emery, alive and well and walking around looking at Roman like he belonged to her, now _that_ ranked way up there. Maybe the havthra plant's poison was useless after it had been cooked? She didn't like baking, but it was the only way she had come up with to make Emery eat the poison, since they never shared meals together. But she was sure she remembered old stories of the plant being served in hot soups… Maybe Roman had suspected something, and stopped his human tramp from eating the cookies. She eyed him suspiciously as Julia rambled on, but he did not seem angry, which she would have expected if he had uncovered Teri's plans.

It was truly infuriating. She had slept so soundly last night, confident that Emery would not be in school today. And then, when she walked into class with that foolish boy Lukas and so clearly – so audaciously! – smiled her biggest, brightest smile right at Roman… well, it was enough to eat at anyone's soul, really.

Teri would just have to try harder. Fresh havthra next time. No more mistakes.

…

"Any questions?" Julia stepped forward as the polite applause ended. Roman and Emery were breathing more easily now that their part in the presentation was over. Teri seemed bored, but since that was her default emotion in school, Roman wasn't worried by it. He tried hard not to look at Emery, because he wanted to wait until they were alone to tell her what a fantastic job she had done. As Emery had spoken, Roman had tried not to picture her carrying his child, and failed miserably. It was one of the very few secrets he kept from Emery, but he knew it would be a mistake to tell her that he frequently imagined their future, complete with children. She was a teenager. Come to think of it, _he_ was a teenager. On top of everything else he had forced on Emery, it just seemed cruel to add that kind of dream to the mix.

"I don't know, I mean, does that answer really make sense?" Roman heard Julia ask as he came out of his reverie. She was looking back at her teammates. Roman blushed to be caught unprepared, but Emery stepped in smoothly.

"Yes, I think you're right. While there could be cases where -" She was cut off by Gloria, who burst into the room in a state of severe agitation. Roman stepped forward immediately; Gloria was not easily ruffled, so something serious must have happened.

"Roman, I -" she began, and there was such sorrow on her face that without even knowing what came next, Roman began to feel lightheaded. Someone had died. An _Atrian_ had died.

"It's Castor, and … and I'm afraid also your mother," Gloria finally managed. Her voice caught and she reached out for Roman's hand. Sophia stood up slowly then, and made her way toward her brother. "Roman, Sophia, I am so very sorry. I need you to come with me." Roman nodded, numb, and grabbed Sophia to him tightly. The pair followed Gloria silently out of the room.

Emery stepped forward without thinking. Of course she would go with them, too. Julia's hand whipped out and encircled her friend's wrist, and when Emery finally looked at her she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. The whole class was watching.

After a quiet minute, Ms. Benton cleared her throat to regain the class's attention.

"I think we will continue with presentations another day," she suggested quietly. "You may use the rest of this period as a study hall. You may talk quietly amongst yourselves, but I do mean quietly."

…

Roman and Sophia sat in Gloria's office, and for the second time in a year they grieved the loss of a parent. Sophia tried to emulate her brother's stoicism but failed miserably. He was glad, at least, for that. Sophia should never have to become as hardened as he. Her beauty lay in the purity of her emotions, in the way she felt everything so deeply and empathized so easily with those around her. Roman needed her, needed Sophia to feel and express the emotions he had to suppress. He knew he was barely above a parasite in this way, and it was one of many reasons he felt so protective of her.

The siblings listened to Gloria haltingly recount the incident as SEU understood it so far. Castor had been walking along one of the uppermost gangways of the Sector when he was shot. They had no idea who the shooter was, but preliminary information suggested the shot may have come from outside the Sector walls. Roman squirmed at this news, and Gloria shot him a sympathetic look.

"Roman, I know what you're thinking but as I said, it's all preliminary. We can't know for sure that it was a Redhawk."

"Cut the crap," Roman answered levelly. "You know our culture well enough. Do you really think any Atrian – even a Trag - would raise a hand against the _Iksen_?" He bore into her with his eyes, and she knew he was right.

Sophia cut in. "But… Mom?" she asked simply, pleading for more information.

Gloria sighed and sat down at her desk. Her brow furrowed in frustration, and she answered without thinking.

"That's the strangest part. She killed herself. It just makes -"

"Gloria!" Roman's angry shout brought her back to the present, and Gloria realized with horror how callous her words must have sounded to the children. Tears sprang to her eyes.

"Oh no, Sophia, I didn't mean to -" She floundered, watching Sophia gasp for air between great wracking sobs. Roman glared at her as he wrapped Sophia up in his arms protectively.

"What the hell was that?" He flared at her. "You're doing a pretty shit job of this so far, I've got to say."

Gloria let the cursing slide. She knew Roman needed a bad guy to hate, and since she also knew she had royally screwed the delivery of this news, she already felt like the bad guy anyway. So she sat back, accepting his anger, letting it wash over her, cleanse her.

After another minute Gloria opened a bottom drawer of her desk, pulled out a box of tissues, and handed them to Sophia without uttering a word. Then she left her office, so the siblings could have some time alone. She had another meeting to attend, anyway.

...

Most of the human members of the Atrian 7's homeroom had asked for permission to join them in the auditorium. Gloria was impressed by the turnout. She caught sight of Taylor, seated just in front of Drake, and offered her a small, sad smile before turning her attention to the group as a whole.

"Roman and Sophia will not be joining us for now," she began, "they are taking some time to themselves. I am sorry to have to share this news with all of you, but today Sophia and Roman's uncle Castor, the Atrians' interim _Iksen_, was killed by an unknown assailant." The entire class reacted to this news, but for the Atrian students it was a staggering blow. To lose two leaders in such a short amount of time, both in such violent ways... it felt surreal.

"In addition, Roman and Sophia will need your support as they deal with the additional personal loss of their mother, Maia, who died today in a separate incident." Teri scoffed loudly at this; she clearly didn't believe Maia's death was unrelated. Well, that was not Gloria's problem right now.

"I'm sorry to say that, given this news, we anticipate there will be a negative reaction on the part of the Atrian community," Gloria continued, but Drake cut her off.

"Hell yeah there'll be a negative reaction!" he stormed. Maia was as much a mother to him as his own, and he needed to be with Roman and Sophia right now.

"That is why, effective immediately, we are once again suspending visiting privileges. Atrians will not be permitted in Edendale, and those of you who had permission slips for access to the Sector, we will put that program on hold for now. We hope to resolve this issue quickly, but until then please bear with us."

Gloria excused herself and exited the auditorium with calm authority. Once she was safely in the stairwell that led back to her office, she leaned against the wall and let the tears flow. She cried for Nox, for the death of the dream they had once shared; she cried for his children and their fresh pain; she cried for the looks on the faces of those teenagers left stranded in the midst of political upheaval; and she cried for herself.

Integration - and her own child - had never seemed so distant.


	40. Chapter 40

**_[While I wait my turn to watch Episode 9, I shall post this chapter. I also hated the end of Chapter 39 - so I rewrote it. If you have a chance, please give a read and let me know if you feel it's been improved. Happy Star-Crossed night, everyone! (I hear rumors that all the Draylor shippers will be quite satisfied tonight...)] _**

…

_What is the point of being here?_ School was just a fresh torture. For the past two days Teri had watched Roman, suffered for him. Why they still kept up this farce called Integration, she could not understand. They should be in the Sector, focusing on their people. The war was coming; Vega had already said so. It was time, now, for Roman to be with his people. He would be declared their _Iksen_ tomorrow. And yet, his pain was ripping a hole through her chest, and Teri couldn't make that pain stop, even after she had screamed herself hoarse. And yet he was probably returning, time and time again, to that human for comfort instead. That little fool was useless, she had no understanding of their struggles or the shared torment of losing a second leader so soon. Besides, it was her father who had stolen Nox away from Roman.

No. Roman needed Teri. She was the only one who could help him through the darkness, because it was where she lived.

...

Julia had never been this quiet for this long. Chemotherapy? Radiation treatment? Pills that worked for a while, then didn't – or worse, the pills that didn't work at all and still left her with unrelenting fatigue… She had laughed through it all. She and Emery, stuck in the hospital together, had always been able to see the silver lining. And whenever that failed, they had created a silver lining out of nothing more than hope and a giggle, and carried on from there. So why couldn't Julia do it now? Why couldn't she find the right way to fix this for Sophia, for Roman and Emery? All her work had been for nothing; Roman was shutting everyone out, when he needed them most, and Julia worried Emery wouldn't be able to take much more of it.

…

Sophia closed her locker and then pressed her forehead against the cool metal as she tried to gather herself enough to make it through the next class. The past few mornings had felt so empty. Roman was home again but he wasn't really there, not the way it was before. She couldn't believe how much she missed Castor, missed their daily run-ins as he slipped out each morning. She had hated him _so_ much, for forcing her complicity in his sin. Now, though, she sat in the chair every morning, willing him to come skulking out of Maia's bedroom. She could finally see that they had been on the same side, that their sparring had been a way to acknowledge their shared love for Maia, the woman at the center of their dysfunctional family.

…

Grayson walked slowly past his former friends, trying not to meet their stares. He knew what Julia and Lukas suspected: it was written plain as day on their faces. They were wrong. He had not been the shooter. But he could never tell them the truth, and so he suffered the torment of their silent accusations with his head down. Grayson may not have pulled the trigger, but he might as well have: He had been Vartan's ride to the empty office building, and his lookout while the former National Guard sniper set up the kill shot.

…

Everything of importance had come into sharp focus for Lukas in the past 48 hours. The Atrians were essentially being punished for crimes they had not yet committed. The Redhawks, set on tripwires, were waiting for anything – a sneer, a roll of the eyes – any excuse to explode. Even the SEU guards seemed jumpier than ever before. The only peace, the only clarity Lukas could find in this spiraling week was Sophia. She was always crystal-clear, while all around her chaos swirled. He knew he could never give up on her; he just hoped he would be strong enough to survive the rejection.

…

Taylor had hoped this apartment would be the start of a new, happier phase of her life. She sighed and padded from the kitchen into the living room, curling into an armchair near the front window. When Gloria had left them in the auditorium two days ago, Drake had made it clear he needed to be by Roman's side for a while. Taylor, loving his intense loyalty, had smiled in understanding… but after two days without him, she regretted her magnanimity. It was different when he was with Aria, but Roman was a grown-ass man, and he had Emery to help him heal. Taylor needed Drake now. The shadows lengthened, merged, and finally swallowed the armchair completely as she stared blankly out the window, missing him.

…

This was all wrong. He needed Roman, selfishly. He knew it wasn't fair, resenting Roman for jumping into his role as the incoming _Iksen_. But Drake ached for the loss of Maia. He had finally retreated to the safety of his pod, unsure of everything. If his patient, cautious, thoughtful friend couldn't keep his family together... If _Roman's_ family, the safest place Drake had known, could be torn from him this way…. Then what possible chance did Drake have? He sat on the sofa, cradling Aria as she napped, and he was scared. This was a chest-crushing fear, a weight he couldn't lift. He realized it wasn't Roman he needed now. It was Taylor. He needed her bright brave smile, her warm eyes, the softness of her, to shield him from the harsh uncertainty he and Aria faced if this war took place.

Carefully, not wanting to wake her, Drake shifted the little girl onto the cushion beside him and stood. They'd have to pack a bag.

…

It had all been so sudden. Emery stared at the back of Roman's head as she faked her way through English Lit that afternoon, wondering how it could have gone sideways so quickly. Two days ago, they had been nearly inseparable. Then with a sentence, Gloria had ripped him from her, had sent Roman down a path Emery wasn't sure she could follow. He would be declared _Iksen_ tomorrow officially, but really he had taken the mantle of leadership from the moment Gloria revealed Castor's death. Emery watched, unable to support him the way she wanted. Sophia was easier, her emotional openness a welcome respite from Roman's sudden cool demeanor. What she really wanted was time alone with him, but he and Sophia were now surrounded at all times by the rest of the Atrian 7, who had immediately closed ranks around the siblings. They were all being shuttled back to the Sector every day right after school, as well. She didn't know what he was thinking, or how he was feeling; she didn't even know how he felt about being _Iksen_ – or how a human girlfriend could possibly fit into his new life. As the teacher began her lecture on Lawrence's _Sons & Lovers_, Emery sighed deeply and tried not to think about how much she missed him.

…

Roman felt Emery sigh. Her breath floated across the back of his neck and he closed his eyes, hating himself. He knew she was hurting, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her, to heal her and let her heal him. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back in frustration. War was coming, and he needed to keep her safe. Two _Iksen _had been killed in the past three months. The minute Castor fell from that walkway, the bull's eye had landed on Roman's back. Over the past two days, Roman had come to terms with the inevitability of his own death, but he would be damned if he would let the coming violence touch Emery.


	41. Chapter 41

_**[Thank you yet again to Marina Black1, for her help with this chapter and just her general awesomeness! PLEASE NOTE: because of a later scene, this particular chapter merits an "M" rating. If you want/prefer to skip this chapter, I completely understand!]**_

…

Drake waited until an hour before curfew. He wanted to make sure Aria was well-rested before they set off. One lesson he had learned quickly was that a sleepy toddler was a grumpy toddler, and a grumpy toddler was about as easy to maneuver as a typhoon.

When it was time to go, Drake threw his backpack on and gently roused his ward. He whispered to her, explaining that they were going to play a game, and if they won the game, they'd get a special surprise. Aria was instantly alert, wondering what the surprise would be. Drake smiled at her enthusiasm but said it was a secret for now. He shut his eyes briefly, hating the reason for keeping her in the dark: if they were discovered, SEU guards wouldn't be able to interrogate her for information.

Drake didn't bother leaving a note. The only person who might want to read it was Roman, and these days the future _Iksen_ had more to worry about. The pair slipped outside, not bothering to hide their presence here. If they were stopped and questioned, they were just heading out for a late-night bite. Of course, the guards paid no attention to a man and his daughter hanging out in the streets on a Thursday night. They were just one of the crowd. The guards were on the lookout for young hothead Trags who might be trying to stir up trouble in the wake of Castor's death. A doting parent was not on their priority list.

The alley behind the shops, by contrast, was mostly empty. An Atrian who could have been Drake's strung-out-father – he didn't really care either way – was curled up inside a cardboard box at the other end, oblivious to the world. Drake waited a moment to be certain, then whistled lightly; a slight figure materialized out of the shadows less than four feet from the pair.

Drake fought back his immediate instinct to take her down. She wasn't a threat, he reminded himself as he forced his hearts to slow again. She was his guide. He held out a hand.

"Hey, umm, I'm -"

"- nothing more than a pretty face to me," she answered as warning.

He gulped and nodded, then handed her a thick envelope.

"It's all there," he said.

"I know." Without another word, she pulled out a cobbled-together scrambler and de-activated first Drake's, then Aria's tracking bracelets. She pulled the manhole cover aside easily, and ushered them ahead.

Drake pulled Aria onto his shoulders, climbed down the ladder, and stepped into the dark tunnel. The guide had brought a bottle of water with her, which she splashed on each of them sparingly. By the scant light of their own bioluminescent skin, they set off carefully toward Edendale, one hand pressed against the wall for balance.

He was shocked – and impressed – to think that Emery had made this same trek by herself not too long ago.

After some time (exactly how long was impossible to determine), the guide stopped. She looked up, despite the fact that there was nothing to see.

"We are at the Sector wall," she said. "I'll stop here. But after the turn up ahead, you'll be fine. You can exit anywhere, really, at this time of night." She loped off back toward the Sector, leaving Aria and Drake without a backward glance.

Drake closed his eyes, remembering how to get to Taylor's new apartment from the Sector. Once he had built a map in his head, the pair moved more quickly. Within twenty minutes Drake was pulling them up and into the street less than three blocks from Taylor. His pulse was racing, in part from the adrenaline of their escape but mostly at the thought of being with Taylor again.

They moved through the shadows, just in case, even though Drake had dressed them both in dark gray hooded shirts.

He had only been here once before, but he remembered it perfectly – the store below sold organic, gourmet pet treats, and he had commented that the dogs in Edendale ate better than a lot of Atrians.

Aria had been quiet for most of the trip, just like Drake asked of her, but now she started to whimper. He realized this was Aria's first experience outside the Sector, but he didn't have time to help her process that now. He had to get to Taylor first; then he would be able to repair his family.

…

There was someone coming up the fire escape. Taylor freaked out very, very quietly, jumping onto the sofa and wringing her hands; she hadn't even lived here _long_ enough to merit a break-in! She was wearing nothing but a t-shirt and boxers! She looked around wildly for a weapon, and settled on a paring knife she'd left on the kitchen island earlier. Now armed, Taylor crept slowly toward the bedroom window, where a small landing led to the ancient stairs.

When she saw Drake she laughed in relief and hurried to let him in.

"What are you even _doing_ here?" she asked, "I thought they closed the Sector gates – oh, hey there Aria!" Taylor tried to shift mental gears mid-sentence. This was not a romantic visit like she had first thought. She looked at Drake for an explanation, but he held a finger to his lips; they would talk later.

The teens worked together to settle Aria; seeing Taylor had already calmed her down a little, and she relaxed even more when Taylor sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as the three of them curled up in Taylor's bed. Drake was surprised to learn the words to the lullaby – he had made them up so many times, that hearing the original version was a novelty.

Once Aria's eyes were closed in sleep, Drake and Taylor slipped out to the front room. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for his explanation, but he really didn't want to talk. He needed her, needed to feel whole; they had been apart too long. In two steps he had crossed to her; in three, he had pushed her up against the island. Taylor was used to Drake's intensity - hell, it was one of the best parts of their sex life – but whatever was happening within him now made their previous experiences seem like adolescent foreplay.

Drake's lips peppered her mouth and throat with hot, needy kisses; his hands slipped up her waist to her shoulders and he lifted her effortlessly onto the counter. She gasped with pleasure when he ripped the collar of her shirt down to her navel, freeing first one, then both breasts so that he could continue his hungry rampage of her flesh. As his lips found and teased each nipple, Taylor bit down hard on her own lips to stifle her moans. His hands moved to her thighs, and he caressed along the length of them, sliding up to her buttocks and lifting her again; this time he bent down, stretching her out along the floor. He pulled her shorts off smoothly with one hand; the other rested lightly on her stomach. Now that they were finally together, he wouldn't be letting her go again.

Taylor reached out eagerly, freeing Drake from his jeans to run her hands over his perfectly sculpted hips. They were both naked now, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her, begging him to stop toying with her - she needed him. When Drake finally succumbed to her pleas, Taylor let out a loud cry of satisfaction at the fullness within her body. Drake covered her mouth quickly with his own, to quiet her.

They stayed locked together at hip and lip, their desire to belong to each other pushing them both well past the edge of normal endurance. Finally Taylor arched upward, unable to stop herself from being carried away by the waves of pleasure wracking her body - and as her warm wet skin brushed against Drake's markings, her touch sent him over the edge with her.

As their breathing slowed and their bodies began to recover, Drake kissed this beautiful, enthralling alien woman along her shoulders and collarbone, staggered anew by her. He reached up for an old throw blanket that hung off the nearby armchair, covered Taylor's body protectively, then stopped for a moment to stare at her in awe. Her hair was a tangled mess – to him, it was the most beautiful sight, liquid gold frozen into swirls and ribbons that framed her features. He reached out and touched one lock that had strayed too far, moving it clear of her eyes. As he did so she reached up and caught his wrist. Taylor searched his face for an understanding of what had just happened; whatever she saw, whether it was his pain or his fear or his love, it was enough.

"Hey, Drake," she whispered in her sultry alto, locking his gaze to hers, "It's okay, baby, I'm here. I'll _always_ be here. I promise."


	42. Chapter 42

_[I know I've made you wait a few more hours than usual... but I was at risk of burnout. I needed sleep, y'all. Anyway, I will continue writing and do my best to post again soon. Thank you all for your comments; whenever I write Draylor stuff the Romery people come out of the woodwork, and whenever I write Romery then I hear from the Draylor peeps! Good to know you all care so much about them; I can't help but love them all, though.]_

...

Emery was not quite used to Gloria Garcia. She generally addressed the Atrian 7 separately, and the few times she had spoken to a larger group, it had always been very formal. Standing in Gloria's office like this, being offered a glass of water and invited to take a seat, felt awkward. Was Gloria aware of her relationship? Was she about to scold Emery for her involvement with Roman?

"Emery, I know this week has been particularly hard on our community, and I appreciate you coming in to talk to me," Gloria began, facing out her window at the crowd of protesters. There had been a nice lull recently, when only the most die-hard Redhawks were willing to stand around yelling slurs and waving signs… but today, there were entire families lined up along the road. Grandparents had brought lawn chairs and coolers, and young children dotted the crush of people. _No time to waste,_ Gloria thought, _Have to teach them to hate early._ She sighed and turned back to face the nervous teenager.

"You may not know this, but the Atrian community will be celebrating the succession of a new _Iksen_ this evening." Emery nodded and looked down, not wanting Gloria to see the sorrow in her eyes. Of course she knew; she had been dreading this day, a day that she and Roman both knew would change everything between them. That they both refused to say it aloud did not make it any less true.

"Despite this current tension, the future _Iksen_ has insisted that a contingent of humans be present tonight. He believes the Atrians need a reminder that humans can be peaceful, and the Redhawks need proof not all Atrians are obsessed with revenge." Gloria tried not to let her own misgivings shine through. She was about to invite Emery Whitehill, daughter of Ray Whitehill, to attend the dinner celebrating Roman's assumption of his father's title. She just could not believe this would end well. "Roman asked that some of the Atrian 7's human classmates be allowed into the Sector for the feast tonight. You are one of the names on his list, but I understand that it may be difficult for you." Gloria paused, then leaned against the edge of her desk and assumed a more casual, less authoritarian air.

"You can say no," she offered compassionately. "Nobody would be surprised or offended."

"Thank you," Emery began, "And thank you for thinking of me… I have to think about this," she answered honestly.

"Of course," Gloria soothed her.

"Can I let you know after school?" Emery asked, standing up and preparing to leave the office.

"That will be fine," Gloria nodded. She glanced down at a sheet of paper on her desk. "If you see Lukas Parnell, will you send him to me, please?" Emery nodded and turned to leave.

She reached for the door knob but someone on the other side beat her to it. The door swung out of her grasp and Roman came barreling into the office, crushing against Emery in his haste. She let out a small cry of surprise and reached out to steady herself against his chest; he threw an arm around her waist instinctively, preventing her from falling back. It hurt both of them, this sudden and unexpected touch, and each saw it in the other's eyes but knew there was no remedy.

Gloria, whose focus had returned to the anger outside the window, missed the exchange between the two, the shared pain and longing; she looked around in time to see nothing more than an apology on Roman's part and a flustered reply from Emery. Then the girl fairly fled her office; Roman watched her for a moment before turning back to Gloria with a neutral expression.

"Can I help you, Roman?" Gloria asked, and he closed the door behind him, leaving Emery on the other side of the wall, knees weak and heart racing. She had tried to delude herself into thinking she could stay away from him, that it would be easier if she stayed away from him. Emery licked her lips and straightened her shoulders, then turned and knocked on Gloria's office door before opening it and poking her head back in.

"Ms. Garcia?" she said, and Roman's face as he looked her way was the same pained face he'd worn the night of the explosion at the Mud Bug. "I guess I _will_ be there tonight." She closed the door quickly, worried her expression would give her away to them both.

By lunchtime, the buzz around tonight's feast in the Sector had reached a fever pitch. The students who had been invited were suddenly as much an object of curiosity as the Atrian 7. Not surprisingly, they included Julia and Lukas, Emery and Taylor, as well as a few of the less Hawk-ish of their homeroom classmates. Emery caught Taylor in the midst of a serious phone call with Drake (absent again today), and assumed it was about tonight's event. She could imagine Drake had no interest in letting Taylor into the Sector right now. Julia and Lukas beckoned Emery over; Lukas was excited to discuss how much of a game-changer it was that their friend was about to become the leader of his people. Emery tried to smile, but it was obvious she did not want to participate.

"Em, what's going on?" Lukas asked.

"Lukas, are you being a tool on purpose?" Julia sighed. "Haven't you been paying _any_ attention? Roman's been so busy trying to avert war, and he's not even the leader yet. Imagine what his life will be like once it's official!" She reached out and grabbed Emery's hand. "Plus, think about it: how bad would it look for the _Iksen _to be dating a human? It's all just a complete and total mess."

…

The SEU bus made two trips that afternoon: one to drop off the Atrian 7, and another to deliver the Sector's human guests. Besides the students (Taylor was notably absent), Gloria had several dignitaries with her and was busy playing diplomat. Julia had dressed Emery for tonight. She insisted that if this was to be Emery's goodbye to Roman, she had to do it looking "stunning": a rich purple sheath dress and black scarf had done the job.

They stepped off the bus and Emery searched for Roman, despite herself. Of course he would be busy preparing for tonight, not waiting to grab her by the hand and sneak off to a dark corner for a few minutes of stolen joy. Instead, Drake and Sophia were there, with Teri, Elian, and the others behind them. The teens converged and blended, and set off behind Gloria and her contingent. They made their way to the central plaza, which had been transformed into a brilliant party venue thanks to ingenuity, a plethora of hanging lanterns, and the help of a forgiving darkness.

Decorated tables stretched in every direction, from a star-shaped collection of five banquet tables at the center of the plaza. Atrians were already gathering at the edges, finding friends and family and making their seating choices. The humans were escorted to a table at the center of the space; Emery was shocked to see they had been assigned seats. For some reason she was near the head of the table, and the names around hers were all written in Sondiv. Sophia sat to Emery's right and explained with a smile: Roman had insisted on showing everyone that Ray Whitehill's daughter was an honored guest on this night. Emery clenched her fists at the news, not daring to hope. Did she want to be seated next to him, or would it hurt more, pretending, when he was so close? Why would he be so reckless?

After what felt like a year's worth of small talk and uncomfortable stares, the guests rose as one; if there had been a cue Emery had missed it. She stood quickly, following everyone else's gaze to a doorway that looked exactly as nondescript as every other doorway on the plaza. The _Hwatab_ emerged slowly, lending the night the gravitas it needed. Last to emerge was Roman, and Emery slipped her arm through Sophia's for support. As she clung to her friend's elbow, she wondered how she had lived without him… and how she would move on from here. He carried the weight of his people on his shoulders, and did so with a grace that shook the breath from her. He was beautiful, and as she watched him walk to the center of the plaza she flashed back to their first meeting ten years ago, when his blue eyes had stared up at her from his hiding place in the shed. Even then she had felt it, had felt the way he could look into her soul and sweep away trivialities.

The members of the _Hwatab_ seated themselves at four of the center tables – Emery saw now that these represented the four tribes. Roman took his seat at the head of fifth, surrounded by the human guests and his closest friends. He smiled reassuringly at Emery as he sat down, and under the table, reached out to grasp her hand.


	43. Chapter 43

**_[For this chapter, I've added a little "p.s." at the end.]_**

...

So much of the evening was happening in Sondiv, and Emery wished she could understand more. Sophia was trying to explain, but she kept getting distracted by the actual goings-on that she'd forget her duty. Emery understood her problem: there was just so much to absorb. This was clearly a poignant evening for all the Atrians present. There were moments of silence in honor of Nox and Castor, intermingled with hope-filled performances dedicated to their new leader. It was well orchestrated, this delicate dance between melancholy nostalgia and bright anticipation. Even without Sophia's translation, Emery was carried along on the emotional surf that surged through the crowd.

It would have been easy to get lost in all of it, Emery realized. For her, though, the events of the whole evening rotated around Roman's hand, clenched possessively in hers; without that anchor, she was sure her control would go pin-wheeling off into an alley. She refused to let go of her lifeline, and was relieved that Roman seemed just as loathe to release her.

Each of the tribe's elders had been giving speeches; it was now the slender graying gentleman who rose. Emery reached out to tap Sophia on the shoulder yet again, when Roman leaned in and, breathing lightly against the soft down on her neck, whispered into her ear.

"The Swamad are our agrarian tribe; they are the backbone of Atrian civilization." She whipped her head toward him, and despite herself, smiled to see his eyes gazing at her with every ounce the adoration of a week ago. He smiled back, a smile meant only for her, and continued in hushed tones. "Just keep watching the speeches, Emery; and nod occasionally, so it looks like I'm translating for you. Okay?"

She nodded. He smelled like the cyper beds, like the night they had made love. She inhaled deeply and shivered with the memory.

"Sophia and I have been… adopted, you could say, by the _Hwatab_," Roman began as the Swamad elder droned on. "Since we are both too young to be on our own officially, and we have no family left, there was little choice. I never expected this. It's… " he stopped, searching for the right word to help her understand why this mattered. "It's… unprecedented. It means that all of the _Hwatab_ elders have accepted us into their families." She turned to face him, still not understanding the importance of his words.

"So much has happened," he whispered, trying to maintain an air of calm for the audience surrounding them. "It's not just the _Hwatab_, either. Things will be changing now, faster than I expected, and it's all because of _you_, Emery Whitehill." The excitement in his voice now was contagious, but Emery still ached to comprehend the reason behind it. Under the table, Roman gave her hand a gentle squeeze and traced a pattern against her thigh: if she could read the Sondiv alphabet Kwandon, she would have recognized the letters spelling _setiv,_ "love".

"Emery, I -" Roman halted as a young Atrian boy came by with a plate of fresh greens for Sophia. Even as the Swamad elder continued, the first course of the meal was being delivered. Emery and Roman straightened, momentarily frustrated by the intrusion. Emery glanced around and noticed that Drake, Teri, and several others had gotten up to join the servers. Her compulsive need to help others took over, and she stood – but Sophia stopped her.

"It's not your job tonight," she explained with a smile. "This is their way of paying respect to their _Iksen_. It's their pleasure Emery, believe me. And by allowing them to serve, Roman is showing all the others present who he trusts most." Sophia sighed theatrically. "It's all politics, really," she added.

"It's important, Sophia," Roman chided her gently. "Historically, it was at this feast that allegiances were made. Even marriages, sometimes, to unite families." He turned as Teri approached with a plate and set it before Emery.

"_Asoluviv_," Emery said to Teri's retreating back, and Roman's eyes sparkled in surprised admiration.

"I had to pick it up at some point," Emery smiled shyly.

"I'm impressed," Roman admitted. "Agh! And hungry! I've been in meetings all day," he joked, reaching out for a bite from Emery's plate.

"I'm not sure the _Iksen_ is supposed to steal food from his guests," Emery teased him. He laughed, but something was wrong with the laughter. As Emery watched, concerned by the sound, Roman's color changed. His skin turned ashen, sweat broke out on his brow, and his lips drained of color.

"Roman? Roman?" Emery stretched out one hand to his face, and choked at the lack of warmth. He looked at her - there was a panic in his eyes that had nothing to do with his own condition.

"Sophia! Drake, don't let her eat anything! Get her out of here, now!" Roman managed to gasp.

The world slowed down, slowed to a turtle's crawl. The relentless drum of terrified blood pounding through her body washed out all other sound; Emery watched Drake silently hurdle the table as if he had wings. She felt him grab her around the waist, felt the weight of him pulling her away and down to the ground. She finally heard screaming and discovered it was her own voice, but she couldn't _feel_ anything except a hot, crushing loss.

With a clap, the world returned to normal speed, and sound rushed in. She was still screaming, clawing at Drake's arms to get to Roman, who had fallen to the ground a few feet from her.

Emery looked around wildly for Sophia, and when she found her she yelled, "It was meant for me! It's in my salad, Sophia! You have to get it!"

There were humans and Atrians flying in all directions; chaos and panic had replaced the cautious optimism of a few minutes earlier, but all that mattered was Roman. Her Roman. She needed to be with him. She kicked as hard as she could, surprising Drake, and crawled away. Roman needed her. She made it to his body but it looked like he was already barely present. His eyes moved, found hers, but his body was limp and he could no longer speak.

"Nonono - oh no, Roman, no, please!" Emery cried, holding his face and kissing him wildly as tears stung her eyes. "You can't leave me, please! I saved you, remember? This can't happen! You can't die! I _saved_ you!" Drake was back, once again dragging her away through the chaos. She _hated_ him. She needed to be with Roman, and he wouldn't let her. Drake shoved her through a doorway and dropped her onto a chair, before turning and locking them in.

"Drake, NO! You have to let me out!" She jumped up and raced for the door, scratching and punching at him when he grabbed her again; he blocked the exit completely with his broad frame. "No, Drake! No! _It was supposed to be me_!"

Saying it aloud killed the adrenaline rush that had carried her to this point, and she collapsed into him, sobbing. "It's supposed to be me! I saved him, Drake! I saved him, he can't die! Please, just please let it be me!"

Drake held her tight, choking back the lump in his own throat. He had no words of comfort to offer. Together they sank to the floor, and Drake crushed Emery to his chest as she curled into a ball of keening grief. All he could do was hold the world at bay for her, for now.

...

**_P.S. Some of you are going to want to be angry with me. If you're one of them, I would ask only that you consider whether you've enjoyed the ride so far, and if you trust me. I trust me. And the marvelous Marina Black1, who once again has been my Beta/sounding board, trusts me... I think..._**


	44. Chapter 44

Time passed. She knew it did, but in this dark quiet room, there was no way to count the passing. She had requested this of someone, and it had been taken care of, no questions.

Sometimes she lay down next to him to sleep, holding him, feeling his hearts beating. When one heart finally shut down, she cried silently, certain her own would follow suit. But she carried on, for him.

Food was brought in, sometimes by Julia, sometimes by others. Food was removed, generally uneaten.

Her parents appeared once. Lukas brought them, although Drake and Elian were there to ensure Ray Whitehill's safe passage. Emery didn't ask how the humans were getting in and out of the Sector. It didn't matter. Nothing out there mattered.

Her mother had cried at the sight of Emery. Her father, though, stepped forward and paid his respects to Roman (she had requested that, too: it _was not _his "body", not his "corpse" - it was still _him_). Then he hugged his daughter and apologized, even though he didn't know why. They left her alone after that.

Others came. Others went.

There was always someone standing vigil with her, though. It was Drake more often than not, and she knew it was wearing him down - but she couldn't ask him to stop. He was the only one who understood, who saw Roman as she still did. The others were just there to say goodbye. Only she and Drake knew: it wasn't about goodbye. This was about making sure Roman's last days were days filled to the brim with love and friendship.

They barely spoke, although Drake told Roman and Emery all about escaping with Aria and hiding her at Taylor's. He missed them both so much, but everyone realized this mattered more right now.

Sophia had the most right to be here, but she couldn't do it. She had tried once; her emotions were so raw that they cut all those around her to the quick. Lukas had to carry her out when she collapsed, after walking proved impossible. Nobody dared suggest she try again.

Occasionally Emery overheard parts of hushed conversations by the door. It was how she learned that Grayson had been arrested. Investigators had managed to identify the weapon used, which led them to Vartan, who turned in Grayson and several other Redhawk conspirators in hopes of a lighter sentence. _Such a coward. Always such a coward, Roman_, Emery thought, stroking his hair gently. It was promising, she thought, that the Redhawks had been dealt such a blow – even if right now, right here, the price seemed far too high.

Finally, after… some time… Emery looked up and spoke. Her voice cracked at first from disuse, and Julia, who had relieved Drake a few minutes earlier, had to lean forward to hear.

"I can save him," Emery managed. Julia's face crumbled at the insanity of Emery's suggestion.

"Em, you can't. I'm sorry, but they were just… really clear about it. Cyper doesn't work; nothing works. I'm so, so sorry, sweetie, but _nobody _can save him." Tears streamed down her face freely as she spoke. "He only has 4 more days." Emery flinched away from the reminder of time's relentless push, as if she had been slapped. "Emery, you can't keep avoiding it," Julia pleaded. "You and I have seen all this countless times before, remember? We know how this ends, come on, you know we do!"

"No." Emery's voice was a little stronger now. "No, Julia, this is different. This is Roman. It _has_ to be different," she begged in desperation. Julia stared at her, silent for an age. Then, finally, she nodded.

"Okay," she sighed. "Okay, Emery, tell me how you're going to save him."

Her friend sagged and smiled, happy to have a plan and a partner. A hint of color returned to her cheeks. She looked over at the tray of food nearby, and picked up a strawberry absentmindedly. Relief flooded Julia to see Emery taking these first steps back from that terrifying half-death she had occupied for too long. Of course this idea of Emery's wouldn't work, but for now, at least, it could keep her alive.


	45. Chapter 45

**_[FINALLY! I did not do this o_****_n purpose; the website had problems uploading all day yesterday! I am NOT THAT CRUEL, I swear. Without further ado...]_**

The lovers' secret had been impossible to hide from those seated at the head banquet table that night; Emery's reaction had been too public, too raw. The _Hwatab_ had immediately declared Emery an official guest of the _Iksen_ and the council, and permitted her unfettered access to Roman for the time being. In the shock of those first few hours, everyone had agreed it was the right thing to do. Even Vega had looked at the broken girl, curled over the body of the handsome young _Iksen_ as guests were hurriedly escorted from the area, and felt a tug of sympathy. The Trags would not harm her so long as the elders' declaration stood.

Since technically Roman was still alive, the _Hwatab_ could not announce a new_Iksen_. They spent their days closed in council, and at night returned to their people, offering what little comfort they could. Through updates from Gloria Garcia, they knew the humans of Edendale were worried. The town council still expected retaliation, especially now that Castor's murderer had been identified. The knowledge that one wrong move could ignite the powder keg paralyzed the elders with fear. The_Hwatab_ were excellent at offering advice, but they were not decision-makers. That was the _Iksen_'s job, one they gladly surrendered. No decisions could be made this week, not until Roman had passed. The elders refused to look each other in the eye when the subject of Sophia's ascension was broached. They knew she was not ready; and besides, none of them wanted to seal Sophia's fate, to guarantee the same untimely death as her father, her uncle, and her brother. This cursed planet was steadily culling the Atrians' longest-serving ruling family. Once Sophia died, the other Zwahan families would claim their right to the title and there would be civil war.

…

When Drake came back, having slipped away through the tunnels and returned to Taylor's apartment just long enough to read Aria a bedtime story, Julia looked disturbed. No, more than that - she looked terrified. She didn't share anything with Drake, though, and stepped out quickly.

"Drake, we're going to save him," Emery smiled. He smiled back uncertainly, not sure how to respond.

Drake had heard the stories, of how those left behind could crack under the strain of the exceptionally slow death induced by the Havthra, but he had never actually seen the leaf used. Havthra was a plant most Atrians wouldn't even recognize; it was too deadly, and its growth was heavily controlled.

…

Lukas and Julia needed help if they were going to succeed with Emery's idea. Sophia wasn't an option; she had basically shattered when she pulled the Havthra leaves from Emery's salad and the Iwabas elder identified them, describing the terrible fate that now awaited Roman.

The humans considered, and rejected, Teri. Nobody had seen her all day, and even when she was around, she was super-scary. And Drake was already taking on too much; they couldn't ask more of him now. That really only left Elian. He was a member of the Iwabas tribe, which meant he had freer access to Vega's gardens, and would know what to look for.

Julia predicted it would be an awkward conversation, and she was right. Elian balked at the suggestion of breaking in to the Trag leader's grow house, and besides, he pointed out, it was a useless exercise.

The entire Atrian community had gone into mourning as soon as it was announced that Roman had consumed Havthra. The deadly effects were too well-known; their culture was tied so irrevocably to the vegetation of their home planet, that even a plant few had ever seen could cause a shudder to pass through the collective consciousness.

In a desperate move Julia tried appealing to Elian's soft heart, pointing out that it was for Emery.

"She just needs to feel like she's tried absolutely everything," Julia pleaded. Elian shook his head; no, he insisted, there was no reason to risk Vega's wrath. Finally Lukas stepped in, sensing that his friends were pushing each other too hard. If they ended up fighting, that would serve nobody - least of all Emery.

"Wait, let's think about this from another angle, okay?" Lukas offered, smiling at them both amiably. "Julia, you saw the Havthra leaf, right? You know what it looks like?"

Julia shrugged, still feeling a little huffy. "Yeah, sure."

"Okay; and Elian, you don't want to risk getting caught in the grow house. That's cool. But you could sneak _us_ in, right?" Elian paused for a moment to consider this.

"Yeah, sure," Elian finally responded, echoing Julia right down to the shrug. Lukas decided to ignore it, and shot Julia a warning look just in case. But she was all smiles now that she had gotten what she wanted.

"Well come on, then, you two! What are we waiting for?"

…

Julia had actually been in the grow house once before, with Roman; she chose not to share that information here, though, since it would raise too many questions. Instead she played the ignorant human, gasping in appreciation when Elian opened the last door and ushered them through.

"Are you sure you'll be okay to get back out?" he asked them; now that he was here, he did feel a little guilty about abandoning them. Lukas hugged Elian gratefully and assured him they'd be fine; Julia was already halfway down the metal staircase, her mission clear.

It took forever; the Havthra plant was very well hidden, indeed. When she finally spotted its delicate scalloped leaves, she was surprised to see Havthra was actually a small bush. She grabbed a branch and snapped, careful not to touch the milky white sap that formed into a shiny droplet at the site of the wound. Lukas held out a bag and she threw it in, then they both raced for Emery.

…

The door opened and Emery looked up quickly. She had fallen asleep sitting by Roman's bed, her head on his stomach, her hand resting protectively over the 10-year-old scar left behind by a nervous soldier's gun.

Drake was having trouble hiding his reaction as Julia and Lukas slid into the room. Theirs was a cruel game. True friends should want to help Emery find closure, not extend her false hope. He had tried to broach the subject himself while they were gone, but found it impossible. Julia and Lukas, however, were her oldest friends. They had an obligation to do the right thing, even if Drake couldn't.

Lukas dumped his bag on the floor, and the Havthra branch tumbled out along with a handful of syringes that Julia had swiped from the leftover medical supplies still swamping her house. She reached out and grabbed Emery's impatient hand, forcing the girl to look her in the face.

"This is a really stupid idea," she stated clearly. Drake sighed in relief.

"I know."

"Good. Because you would probably die."

"I know."

"Okay then." Julia closed her eyes, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I'm still going to do it."

"... I know."

They were interrupted by a low growl from Drake, who had been standing over them, arms crossed. He turned and banged angrily through the door, not wanting to be a part of what would happen next. He hated himself, because he also knew he couldn't really bring himself to stop her. As much as Emery's choice burned at him, Drake knew that if it were Taylor lying in Roman's place, he would happily give up his own life if he thought he could bring her back. Emery had earned a place in Drake's heart over the past four days of shared vigil, and as he slammed both fists against the side of the pod in frustration, he admitted to himself that he was scared to stand vigil over her body next.


	46. Chapter 46

**_[aaargh... Uploading has been so hit-or-miss the past 24 hours! Glad I was at least able to get this chapter posted. More as I can get them loaded, I promise!]_**

**_[And there's a small note at the end of this chapter, too.]_**

...

Lukas and Julia kept forgetting to breath. What Emery was doing verged on insanity, but they were in too deep now. She filled the syringe with the thick white sap of the Havthra leaf, then paused, looking up and reaching for Julia.

"Julia, if I can't do it…" Her voice shook, and she stopped to swallow back her own fear.

"If I can't do it, you have to promise me you will." Julia shook her head and bit her lips, fighting for control.

"You'll be able to do it. It's for Roman," she finally reassured Emery.

"That's not what I mean. I mean if I… if the poison affects me, and I really _can't_ do it, I need you to finish it." She searched Julia's eyes. "I need you to promise me, Julia. You know it's the right thing to do." Her friend broke their stare and looked down at her hands, which were twisting together nervously. "Jules – you owe him your _life_," Emery insisted, reaching out and covering her friend's hands with her own, which were now rock steady.

Julia nodded silently. Emery hugged her in thanks, then turned back to the syringe. She looked at Lukas and Julia in turn, and smiled sadly to see their grief-stricken faces.

"I'm glad you're here," she consoled them. "I know it's possible this won't work, but you understand – I have to try." Without another word, she pushed the syringe into her forearm and depressed the plunger steadily.

It was not painful, as she had assumed it would be. There was a velvety coolness to the poison as it flowed and mingled with her blood; she could feel it soothing away so much of the turmoil of the past week. She wanted it to fill the rest of her, take away all the pain. Emery looked up, a blissful smile on her face, but caught sight of Roman stretched out before her. His visage reminded her she had a job to do, and she glanced back down at her forearm with a mixture of trepidation and awe.

Ribbons of lovely green snaked like a fluorescent lattice across her skin, pulsing with each beat of her heart, growing down toward her hand and up toward her elbow. The poison was so strong; she wanted to close her eyes, to enjoy this sensation of comfort. Instead she reached out for Roman's hand, and his cold lifeless fingers focused her just enough. She turned slowly, willing her brain to remember what a hypodermic needle looked like. Julia was already there – she placed one hand on Emery's shoulder and with the other, offered up a clean syringe.

Emery reached out, but a spasm of pain suddenly rocked her body and she fell to the ground. She gasped; all that happy relief was fading, eaten relentlessly by a white-hot fire. Something was burning back through her system, racing toward the injection site, and Emery stared in fascinated horror as the green glow was consumed in a fiery purple. As the pain burned through her body, she knew she had made a terrible mistake, knew it was over. With the last ounce of her strength she lunged for Roman, needing to apologize, to touch him one last time. She collapsed across his torso, leaving Julia and Lukas staring at the fallen couple in shock.

…

Teri was busy dying. It took a lot longer than she had planned, frankly. In retrospect, mixing the herbs into a tea had been a coward's choice.

Lucky for her this pod had been very nearly abandoned. Sophia didn't sleep enough to need her bedroom these days, and everyone else had already passed from this world. Or nearly so. She clutched briefly at the dark spot where her heart had lived for 16 years - until 4 days ago, when she had ripped it out her own damn self, stupidly.

Teri climbed up onto Roman's bed, lofted in the center of his bedroom, and molded herself into the depression his body had made in the mattress. She could feel the first of the poisons working now, making her limbs heavy and thick. She clutched the note in her hand, the one that admitted her attempt to murder Ray Whitehill's daughter. Teri had gotten a little carried away when she wrote it, also condemning the hatred that had torn her best friends from her and begging her mother to stop the violence before any more had to die. It was too late to rewrite anything now; as her eyes closed for the last time, she sighed in anticipation of release from the hell she had built around herself.

…

… There was nothing, and then there was love. It started with a gentle warmth against her lips, and flowed through her, awakening her nerve by nerve. She reached up to touch her face but someone grabbed her hand, and fingers laced between her own. She knew the shape, the weight, the caress of those fingers intimately. Her eyes fluttered open in surprise. Blue eyes, eyes she was certain she'd never see again, smiled down at her.

"My father told us human fairy tales, but I never really believed in Sleeping Beauty until today," Roman teased Emery, leaning in to kiss her again. Emery tried to sit up, but Roman stopped her.

"You're still too weak, Emery. Take it easy." He turned and motioned to someone behind him, and Emery saw Julia come forward with a bottle of water. Lukas materialized, and helped Emery sit up, adding a few cushions behind her for support.

As she accepted the water, Emery looked around. This was still the same room, but another pallet had been erected for Emery, beside Roman's. The curtains had been pulled aside, the windows thrown open to the world. A vase of small blue flowers sat on the table nearby. Emery smiled at the optimism Roman had infused into this space in her brief… absence.

"I love what you've done with the place," she finally murmured, and Julia, Roman, and Lukas all smiled to hear her voice. "Why am I so hungry?" she asked them, and Julia actually laughed in relief.

"Because you haven't eaten in days!" She rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a granola bar, which she happily surrendered.

As Emery ate, the friends tried to explain what had happened; they kept overlapping and interrupting each other in their eagerness to share.

"After you passed out, Julia did it, Emery, she drew your blood -"

"Okay, but it was not like normal blood though, it was glowing, and thick, and -"

"Wait no, that's not the point, the point is when you injected Roman with the -"

"Shut up, Lukas – he keeps making it sound like I'm some hero, but it was all you, Emery, you were -"

"She was a fool, Julia. She was just lucky you were there!" Lukas joked.

"May I interrupt?" Roman finally interjected, stretched out next to Emery on her pallet. He hated to admit that even these small movements had drained him quickly. It would be a while before his strength really returned.

Lukas and Julia deferred to the recovering _Iksen_, suddenly embarrassed by their punch-drunk enthusiasm. He smiled at Emery and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"The point is, your crazy plan worked. It shouldn't have," he added, trying to frown at her but failing, "but it did. The Iwabas elder was here, and she said your blood is different from other blood. She said it… attacked the Havthra in a way no Atrian blood could have." Julia raised her hand nervously before piping up.

"Me again, sorry. My theory is that it's a holdover from your autoimmune issues. Your blood _actually_ created antibodies against the Havthra! It's crazy!" She remembered herself again, and stepped back, sliding her thumb and forefinger across her lips to show she was zipping it – at least for now.

"Drake says you just have warrior's blood," Roman joked softly as he nuzzled against her. "He's ready to have you declared an honorary member of the Vwasak tribe."

Emery laughed at the exuberance in the room. It felt like only minutes before, this had been a place of grieving. A thought struck her.

"How long have we been in here?" She asked the room in general.

"It's Thursday, Emery. You were out for two days." She processed this, and had another question.

"I'm sorry, but it's just all so _much_; Roman, what about you? Are you okay? I heard one of your hearts when it stop -…" she blinked back the memory and bit her lower lip. Roman smiled reassuringly. It stung him to learn she had experienced that, but didn't let it show.

"I'm fine, Emery. Really. I'm sorry to put you through all that, but… here. Listen," he offered, and she leaned against his chest, grateful for the invitation to sink into his warm, protective embrace. There they were – two hearts, beating out a comforting double rhythm she had instantly fallen in love with.

Drake stepped into the room then, and when he saw Emery, he grinned and crossed to her quickly.

"You're an idiot," he growled as he hugged her, "But you're a damn brave idiot. I'm glad you're okay." Once he released her, Roman pulled her possessively back into his own, less lung-crushing arms.

"Hey now, how long was I really out?" he teased them both gently. Emery reached up and stroked his face; it was all she could muster. She was worn out, and from the look on his face, Roman wasn't much better.

Taking the hint, Drake, Lukas and Julia retreated to a far corner of the room so the reunited lovers could finally have some time alone. Soon everyone would know, and there would be very little privacy for them both.

…

Outside, the news was spreading: Vega's daughter had done it. It had been Teri. The Trags had killed the _Iksen_. Like a tsunami, it washed over, under, through the streets. It seeped in through windows, and spared none. And like a tsunami, the initial wave was followed by other, lesser waves. The first wave, shock, silenced the community. The hush was disquieting. It did not take long for the next wave to hit: crushing grief. _How could one of our own do this?_ It seemed impossible. But they had found her confession, crumpled up in the palm of her hand. She wanted to kill Ray Whitehill's daughter, and instead had poisoned the _Iksen_.

After that, public sentiment rippled back a dark echo. _The Trags. What have they ever done for us, really?_

_..._

_[About Teri: just as Emery is Juliet to Roman's Romeo, Teri has always been - for me - the Ophelia to his Hamlet. I hope the knowledge that the next chapter is much less dramatic, much more... intimate... will soothe any hurt feelings!]_


	47. Chapter 47

_[Thank you ALL for your continued interest and support. Over 6,000 visits, over 200 reviews... It's just staggering! While most (99%) of the comments, reviews, and suggestions are helpful and warmly welcomed, please understand: accusations that I am not updating fast enough are not helpful. I've posted 46 chapters - over 54,000 words - in 30 days. But I also have a family and a job, which are more important to me than how fast I post. I thank you in advance for your understanding and patience, especially over this busy holiday weekend.]_

_[**This is another chapter I have to classify with an "M" rating. **Sorry. Feel free to skip it, if it's not to your taste. Since it's been awhile, I need to extend my warmest thanks to Marina Black1, who has taken on Beta duties for so much of this story. She is super fantastic. Go check out her latest piece, "Hurt", written for The 100. Tell her I sent you. She'll pour you a big glass of wine, on my tab.]_

...

Roman stirred, and Drake watched from the doorway as his best friend reached for Emery without opening an eye. It was both frightening and tender, his raw need for her. Drake felt the emptiness in his own chest, the Taylor-shaped hole that every hour in the Sector had chiseled out of him, and laced his fingers together against the back of his neck with a frustrated sigh. Roman's eyes flickered open at the sound. He looked at his best friend in concern, but didn't move from Emery's sleeping side as he whispered to Drake.

"You look like shit."

"Yeah, you're not winning any beauty pageants yourself," Drake whispered right back.

"Go to Taylor, Drake. She needs you more than we do," Roman urged.

Drake hesitated. His life had revolved around the couple in this room for almost a week. He didn't want to seem disloyal…

"Drake," Roman's tone was less gentle, more direct this time. "We would like some privacy, please." He glanced down at Emery meaningfully, and Drake smirked. He knew it was a lie, but he appreciated Roman's attempt to give him an easy excuse. With a wink and a nod, he slipped out the door and inhaled deeply, feeling freer already. Roman had released him just in time for a quick late-night trip through the sewers of Edendale. These excursions had become so commonplace recently, that he had to remind himself to keep an eye out for SEU guards as he crept into the alley.

Taylor and Aria weren't expecting a visitor tonight. They ran to the window happily when Drake tapped on it, and Taylor laughed gaily at the grin on Drake's face as she welcomed him with a tender kiss.

"So, does this mean Roman's okay?" She asked as Drake bent down for Aria's hug.

"She did it, Taylor," Drake answered, unable to stop smiling. "I still don't completely understand how, but she saved him."

"Oh, I am so relieved!" Taylor sighed. "Now things might get back to normal!"

Aria tugged at Drake's pant leg urgently, and when she had his attention, she led him out to the front room. It had been transformed since his last visit.

"Christmas is in a couple weeks," Taylor explained defensively. "Since Aria is half human, I figure she needs to start learning about both cultures. So we've been decorating!" She stepped into the middle of the room and twirled gently, arms outstretched, showing off the strings of colored lights, the tiny decorated evergreen, the cutouts of snowmen and stars taped to the front windows. Drake saw them as nothing more than a backdrop to Taylor's vitality and spirit, though.

She was everything warm, bright, and right with the world. He stepped forward and grabbed her hands, pulling her possessively into his body as she giggled and pretended to fight him off. Aria laughed at their antics, jumping onto Drake's back to rescue Taylor. Drake let her win, and then grabbed the little girl and planted a big kiss on the top of her head.

Taylor – who had missed a week of school watching Aria for Drake – had kept busy playing Miss Domesticity. There were baked goods covering every inch of the counters, and the refrigerator fairly overflowed with homemade dishes. She had even become proficient at preparing human food that Atrians also found edible; she pulled open the refrigerator now, and asked Drake what he wanted for dinner. He extricated himself from Aria, and walked over to stand behind Taylor. With an arm wrapped possessively around her stomach, he pushed her hair off her neck, kissed gently at the curve where it met her shoulder, and leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"What do I want for dinner? … Just you, blondie."

"Aria, honey, time for bed!" Taylor announced instantly, smiling coyly at Drake as she ushered the little girl down the hall to the bathroom.

…

Emery smiled and stretched, enjoying the warm cocoon of Roman's arms. She didn't want this to end. All too soon, she knew, they would have to face the outside world. But here, it was just the two of them. Roman slid one hand up her arm, grasping her shoulder gently and turning her over to face him.

"Good morning," he murmured, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"Is it morning already?" Emery asked lazily.

"No, not even close. We just took a nap." He watched her carefully, enjoying every expression that crossed her face as she considered their circumstances. She looked so much stronger than before; it was a relief to see her recovery going well.

Emery looked for Drake, and sat up in surprise.

"Whoa, slow down," Roman cautioned. She blinked away the dizziness and looked around more carefully.

"Worried about our guard? I sent him back to Taylor's," Roman explained. "He needed a break."

"Yeah, I agree. You don't know what it was like -" Emery cut herself off, not wanting to delve into those memories right now. "You know what? That's for later. I'm… kind of hungry right now." She grabbed at her hollow stomach.

"Funny you should mention that," Roman smiled. He pointed to a small table at the head of their makeshift beds, overflowing with fruits and pastries. "Julia went a little overboard, I think."

"Ha! That looks more like Lukas," Emery corrected him. "Lukas was raised on the Southern tradition that food heals 90% of ...well, everything." She reached out for a bunch of grapes.

They sat on the edge of the bed, sharing a simple meal in relative quiet.

"Were you in pain?" Emery finally whispered, when she could bear it no longer.

"Yes," Roman admitted. "I thought I was losing you. But the poison didn't cause me any pain, if that's what you're asking." He would never tell her how it felt when Julia injected him with Emery's Havthra-infused blood, though.

"I know what you mean," she responded simply.

"Well, Miss Whitehill, you have now saved my life twice," Roman announced to the room. "How _ever_ will I repay you?" He turned a disarming smile on her, but she looked quite serious.

"By living it well," she challenged. Her words sobered him, and he tucked one hand under her chin as he gazed at her… no, gazed into her.

"For you, I promise I will," he replied earnestly. "Especially if _you_ promise to be right there with me."

Tears pooled in her eyes and threatened to spill; he frowned, confused.

"I'm just… relieved it's over," Emery explained, and shut her eyes to compose herself. Roman couldn't stand it; he leaned in and kissed her gently, wanting desperately to take all her suffering on himself.

Emery kissed him back, and as she relaxed into the warmth of him, her lips parted slightly and pulled him in. The taste of her was sweet, intoxicatingly so; Roman let out a surprised breath and pulled back, ashamed of the animal need that suddenly came over him. She had woken up from near-death less than a day ago. Emery needed rest, she didn't need... she didn't need to be the thing _he_ needed.

She searched his face, trying to understand why he had pulled away. Roman did something thrilling to her whenever they were together; her skin was so responsive to even the slightest touch from him, and she had become addicted to that simple ecstasy. But right now it seemed, he was wrestling with some internal demon... she smiled as comprehension slowly dawned.

"Roman, do you realize this is the first time we've been alone together since… wow, I can barely remember the last time!" Her laughter rang out clearly and warmed him. She stretched out one hand, careful to keep her eyes locked on Roman's, and ran it up under his shirt. With a knowing smile, she let her fingertips dance across the markings that speckled his chest, and was rewarded when his eyes widened and he called out her name huskily.

"Emery…" he reached up and grabbed her wrist, forcing himself to focus. She was incredibly distracting. He wanted her in a way he could barely understand right now.

"Roman. I need you," Emery whispered as she leaned forward, turning her face up to his and kissing him softly.

Roman had very little restraint left; he tried once more, wanting to do the noble thing.

"You _need_ your rest," he reminded her, but even as he said it one treacherous hand snaked up and tangled into her hair, pulling her deeper into their kiss.

Emery didn't even bother to answer him; her heart was beating hard, attempting to escape her chest, and her breath had quickened at the heat of his lips, his tongue. She pressed forward, pushing him back against the pillows, and deepened the kiss until both of them parted, panting at her surprising intensity.

Before he could try to be the good guy again, Emery grabbed the hem of her shirt and slid it off over her head quickly; then she ran her hands up Roman's torso, pulling his shirt off just as quickly. Under her deft fingers, his pants disappeared; Emery trailed her hands along the full length of his markings, smiling at her power to bring him so much obvious pleasure. Her breath tickled his ear as she kissed him lightly on the neck, and Roman's own hands slid down her body, enthralled by the softness of her. He didn't bother removing her skirt; her underwear slipped off easily.

She moaned joyously at Roman's touch as he pressed against her, forcing her back onto the bed; his hands traced electric paths across her skin, his mouth searched her body ravenously. He smiled to himself when her back arched in ecstasy as his hot breath cascaded over her sensitive breasts; finally Emery could control herself no more.

"Roman!" she gasped, and hearing her call his name with such desire was too much for him. He needed to possess her, to claim her as forever his, to fill her with the life she had given him.

As he gave in to her, Emery felt her body respond to his with an aching hunger. She wanted him _more_; she frightened herself with her need to consume him, to hold him inside and keep him forever protected. She begged him to stay with her, to fill her, crying out his name blissfully as she crashed into oblivion; as wave upon wave of pleasure overtook her she felt Roman finally succumb, joining and completing her just as they both so desperately needed.


	48. Chapter 48

_[Thank you, thank you, **thank you** for your support - both your reviews begging for more, and your understanding that sometimes, an author needs a break. I poured my soul into the past few chapters! Anyway, the story continues... please let me know your thoughts.]_

"Stay."

"I can't. You know I can't."

"Yes, you can. I miss you; Aria misses you. Can't Roman take care of himself for one night?" Taylor's large brown eyes sucked Drake in, and he could only sigh at her ability to manipulate him. She sensed his resolve weakening, and tried to pinch back an exultant smile. Taylor turned sideways on the sofa to face him better, rubbing her hand softly along his arm, which was slung along the back of the cushions.

"Come on, Drake, you've been a good soldier long enough. I admit, it's sexy to think of you off protecting everyone… but Aria and I were starting to forget what you looked like," she pushed on. Throwing Aria in his face was a low blow, but Taylor was willing to go lower if necessary.

Luckily for her, Drake was a pushover when he came to the women in his life.

"All right, fine, you win," he groaned, laying down with his head in her lap. She ran one hand along his jaw line, and let the smile take over. It was clear to her that he had run himself ragged over the past week; she was really doing this for his own good. He needed to be protected for just a bit, instead being the protector. She leaned over and gently kissed the tip of his nose, his tender lips, his eyes as they drifted closed… Her heart felt too full of him, and she worried about their future for perhaps the hundredth time that day.

As if in response to her worries, Drake's arm slid up and encircled her waist, claiming her even in his sleep.

When the apartment's doorbell sounded, Taylor swore under her breath. Her upstairs neighbor was _terrible_ about leaving the main entrance unlocked. Whoever was out there, she would have to get rid of them quickly.

She extricated herself carefully from Drake, who was very nearly snoring (she would have to tease him about it when he woke up), and peered through the door's ancient peephole.

"Gloria?!"

"Taylor, we need to talk," Gloria announced impatiently. Her toe tapped out a nervous rhythm, the only outward clue that anything was wrong.

"Umm, tonight's not really a good time," Taylor tried. She glanced over at Drake, still asleep in her living room.

"It's about you and Drake," Gloria whispered urgently, pressing her face close to the door.

"Shit! Fine," Taylor opened the door, "But please keep your voice down. Everyone's asleep."

Gloria stepped carefully into the small apartment, so preoccupied she didn't register the point of Taylor's last comment. The girl had appointed the place tastefully, although the abundant Christmas decorations would require an explanation later. She glanced at the kitchen and was impressed with the sheer volume of cookies and pies; her eyes slipped around the living room, finally landing on Drake, stretched out on the –

"Taylor, Drake is supposed to be inside the Sector right now," Gloria stated as calmly as she could.

"Yes, but he's not," Taylor answered, equally calmly. The two women stared at each other for several tense seconds, but it was Gloria who finally backed down.

"Fine," she muttered, "That's probably the least of our worries anyway."

Taylor gloated privately as she returned to the sofa, sliding back under Drake's head and placing her arm protectively across his chest. She watched Gloria carefully to gauge the older woman's reaction and was surprised to see neither disgust, nor anger, but sadness and regret.

"You wanted to talk, let's talk," Taylor finally prompted. As if drawn back from a great distance, Gloria blinked and shivered lightly.

"Taylor, how much do you know about what's been happening in the Sector?"

"Enough." Taylor glanced down at Drake. She wasn't sure how much _Gloria_ knew.

"So you must realize, everything is different now. Our plan won't work any more," Gloria continued, more urgently. "The Trags are upset about Roman's murder and we still have no idea how it happened. The Redhawks have been weakened by Vartan's confession, and they are looking for any new scandal to rekindle interest in their hate-war. Now is not the time."

Taylor had been listening with one ear to Gloria, but with the other she caught the unmistakable sound of tiny feet pattering across hardwood floors.

"Um, Gloria, it may be a little late for that," Taylor warned, just as Aria wandered groggily into the living room and climbed up next to Taylor. Drake, sensing the girl's presence, opened his eyes and reached out for her. Aria scrambled over Taylor's lap and snuggled against Drake, who finally realized they were not alone. He sat up quickly, unsure of what to do but taking his cues from Taylor for now.

Gloria's heart collapsed inward as she took in the tableau before her: the young, handsome Atrian, his model-perfect human lover, and the delicately-marked blonde child that could only be theirs.

…

Lukas sat in Drake's pod, Sophia leaning against him as she recovered from another marathon crying session. Finding Teri's body had been hard on Lukas, who had gone there to get some clothing for the resuscitated Roman – but even so, he had insisted on being the one to share the news with Sophia. Throughout the past week, while the rest of Edendale – Atrians and humans – had focused on Roman and his inevitable passing, it was Lukas who returned time and again to Sophia's side. He knew she would never reciprocate his romantic feelings, but he couldn't just turn them off like a spigot. And frankly, Lukas understood what it was like to watch those close to you die slowly. Julia had been the hardest. When she had miraculously recovered it was almost as difficult, like going through the grieving process in reverse. Now that Roman had done the same thing, Lukas knew he was the one person who could help Sophia navigate these tricky emotional waters.

Lukas silently scrolled through a list of Sophia's recent tragedies, stacking them up on a small mental scale: the deaths of her father, mother, uncle; Roman's near-miss; and now, Teri's suicide and confession that she had tried to kill Emery. On the other side of the scale, Lukas placed an image of Sophia, small and perfect. It could not possibly balance; only by tipping it with his own hand could he return it to a state of equilibrium.

"Sophia, you need to eat something," he reminded her once she seemed calmer. He took her hand, enjoying the softness of her fingertips on his palm despite himself, and led her to the kitchen. Everyone had been using this pod as an interim home for days; Drake's impressive cooking skills were now common knowledge. After helping themselves to a plate of food, the two sat at the table and talked about anything and everything trivial. When Lukas suddenly realized he had been explaining soccer for the past fifteen minutes, he broke off mid-sentence.

"Um…"

"Please don't stop, it's nice. It's mindless," Sophia urged. She smiled then, embarrassed at how she must sound.

"I- I mean, I need mindless right now," she added, reaching out for his hand. "Lukas, thank you. Thank you for… everything. For being my friend, for taking care of me, for -"

"- being in love with you," Lukas added. He had to say it, even if she didn't want to hear it.

Lukas had spent too long holding back. He had subverted his own feelings, had pretended he was fine without her - and been her rock at the same time. Now that Sophia was through the darkest of her journey, Lukas' self-control had given out.

Sophia closed her eyes, trying to find a way to express her feelings to Lukas that wouldn't hurt him.

"I love you too, Lukas," she finally whispered. "You are so good, and so kind. How could I not? But... Taylor... I mean, it's just much more complicated than that." Lukas' heart lurched.

"It doesn't have to be complicated at all, Sophia," Lukas whispered, leaning in. "It can be just this, just… us." He closed the last few inches and kissed her tenderly, shyly.

She kissed him back, wanting the connection more than she realized. When she finally pulled away, she looked down to avoid his gaze. Her guilt at using him was unbearable. He really was too nice.


	49. Chapter 49

_[A reviewer from back at Chapter 46 pointed out, quite rightly, that my inclusion of Sophia there was a little too cavalier. I went back and removed her from the scene, in order to give her more weight later. If you originally read Chapter 46 before I removed Sophia, feel free to go back for a re-read so this chapter works. If you read it AFTER I made the edit, then this note is not for you.]_

…

Lukas wanted so much more from her, but he was not going to push Sophia. That would ruin everything, and likely just scare her away. He had to tread lightly for now. There would be time, later, for him to press his case more convincingly.

He stood and offered her his elbow instead, mimicking gallant gentlemen of old, reminding her that it was time to go see Roman and Emery.

Sophia giggled a bit at the gesture, then sighed heavily and admitted that she missed them so much. She still needed to thank Emery for saving her brother's life.

It had all been so chaotic, and time had warped around certain moments in the past week. Roman's inaugural dinner on Friday night had passed in seconds… the crush of panicked bodies flowing around her as Sophia grabbed Emery's salad protectively, though, had lasted a year. In the space of a few hours, the first 5 days of Roman's dying had slipped through her fingers... but when Julia and Lukas had brought her to him Wednesday night, to watch his eyes open, his face glow with a smile of recognition - that splendid moment would last the rest of Sophia's life. Their joy then had been marred only by the knowledge that Emery still had not awoken.

Now that Emery was back, and Sophia was getting better at managing the emotional baggage recently lumped on her, she found herself actually looking forward to something again.

Neither of them expected the streets to be so crowded this late at night. The air vibrated with an excited, nervous, restless energy that verged on anger. This was what a mob felt like in its infancy; the uncertainty, the lowered inhibitions, the visceral need for something to happen. Lukas pulled Sophia close to him and with a worried frown guided her toward Roman and Emery.

…

"Gloria," Drake started, licking his lips nervously and hugging Aria against his chest, "Roman's not dead."

Gloria tore her eyes away from the child. She tried to focus on Drake's comment.

"...Not yet, I know, but by tomor -"

"No, he's awake. He survived the attack." Drake smiled, hoping to ease Gloria's worry.

"He… but how…"

"That's not the point, really," Taylor interjected. There was no need to pull anyone else into this conversation, least of all Emery. "The _point_ is, everything's going to be just fine now."

The comment pushed Gloria over some mental cliff. She stood up and pointed at Aria accusingly.

"Fine? _Fine?_ Where did you get the idea that _anything_ is fine? Just where _did_ this child come from? Would either of you care to explain that?" Gloria was a pillar of fury now, and Taylor shrank back against Drake, temporarily flustered.

"She's _my_ ward, her name is Aria," Drake spat back, "And I'd appreciate you taking a different attitude and tone in her presence." He knew Taylor trusted Gloria, but she had yet to prove herself to him.

"But - she looks _just_ like you!" she said to Taylor, trying to regain her sense of calm.

"Yes. We know," Drake said with a sigh. "It's complicated." Gloria crossed her arms impatiently.

"Why don't you and I take a quick tour of the back staircase?" Taylor chimed in once again, standing up and gesturing for Gloria to follow her. She gave Aria a peck on the forehead, kissed Drake tenderly, and then led the older woman to the back room; with an apologetic smile she threw up the window sash. The two of them just barely fit onto the fire escape, where Taylor explained Aria's story in hushed tones to the woman she considered her liberator.

"So… _is_ she your sister?" Gloria finally asked, brows knitted together as she processed this news.

"No idea. The only way to know for sure is a DNA test, right? And how could we do that without losing her? She means so much to us!" Taylor's eyes begged for help. Gloria turned and stared up at the stars, wondering how her life had spiraled to this point. Several minutes passed before she felt ready to go back inside.

She might not be able to have her son with her for now, but perhaps she could still salvage Integration, after all.

…

They had to cross the central plaza - which, through some magic of crowd wisdom, had turned into a rallying point for the Atrians on the streets. The pair of teens were nearly through when they heard the chanting begin. Lukas searched Sophia's face, hoping for translation; she looked at him, eyes wide with fear, and whispered along with the crowd: "Death to Vega. Death to the Trags."

Lukas saw it now, the small platform that had been hastily erected from a few oil drums and some old doors. This looked bad. Really bad.

"What the hell? ...We need Roman," Lukas urged. Sophia couldn't agree more, and they hurried on, hoping they would not be too late.

The _Hwatab_ were already there when Sophia and Lukas finally burst through the door. Roman glanced at Emery, seated next to him at the table around which the Atrian leadership were ranged, and gave her a small nod. As he turned back to the elders, Emery slipped away quietly and floated to Sophia's side. The girls hugged tightly, words escaping them now that they were actually reunited. Even when Emery finally pulled away she refused to release Sophia's hand.

"Emery, I…" Sophia struggled to find words that would adequately describe the debt she owed the human girl. "Just… thank you so much," she finally wept.

"Please don't thank me," Emery shushed her quickly, reaching up to swipe at her own damp cheeks. "What else was I supposed to do?" Roman was Sophia's entire remaining family, and yet Emery had not considered her perspective at all until now. She felt ashamed of her selfishness. Seeing Sophia again reminded Emery of the high personal cost to each of them in the struggle for peaceful integration.

"Sophia, I'm sorry. I wish we had more time, but if you think you can handle it," Emery squeezed Sophia's hand, "I believe your _Iksen_ needs you." She pointed at the vacant chair next to Roman.

Lukas stepped forward with Sophia.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but on our way here we ran into some … trouble," he said. He and Sophia shared what they had witnessed on the trip over.

"Well, where is Vega now? Is she safe from the mob?" Roman asked. He looked around the room at vacant faces and knew the answer. "Okay - well, let's go find her," he urged, standing up and reaching for Emery without a backward glance. She was already there, as he knew she would be, and slid in beside him smoothly.

"Wait!" the Vwasak elder intoned. "_Iksen_… our people have not yet been told of your recovery," he admitted. Roman stared at him blankly for a moment.

"Why?"

"We weren't sure how to manage the potential reaction," the Iwabas elder piped up, "Especially since you now owe your life to this human girl." She smiled timorously at Emery. "While we in this room are more understanding, the Trags have supporters throughout every level of our society. Knowing that a human's blood now runs in your veins, that your… _sentimental_… regard for her may distort your thinking - we couldn't be sure what affect that news would have on the people." Roman ran one hand over his head in frustration and groaned.

"Well - that's great; now your inability to act may have just cost Vega her life!" he barked at them impatiently. Roman paced, trying to think quickly. Emery, watching him struggle, wanted to help, but she knew there were nuances to Atrian society she still didn't understand. She thought back to the night of the explosion at the Mud Bug, when Roman had told her as much; the memory sparked something in her. She stepped into Roman's path and put one hand gently on the side of his face to focus him.

"Hey, you're not alone here," she whispered to him. "Remember, I might not have answers, but I am a really good listener," she offered him with a smile. Sophia and Lukas watched in awe as Roman visibly relaxed and re-centered under Emery's gentle touch. The _Hwatab_ were not immune to the connection between these two, either. Their _Iksen_ and his human girl shared a bond much stronger than he had originally indicated to them.

"I think it's well past time the people learned the truth, don't you?" Roman finally announced, still looking only at Emery. "After all, we can't have lawless mobs out there, seeking vengeance for an assassination that never happened." Sophia and Lukas sighed with relief at his verdict, but the _Hwatab_ hesitated. Even now, the thought of taking decisive action was too foreign. Roman turned to them, eyeing each in turn.

"Please listen to me, all of you. I have wasted too much time making the same mistake you're making now, confusing inaction for prudence." He looked at Emery and smiled. "But now I know that _can't_ always be the answer. Right now, our people need guides to show them the way. My father's way, Nox's way – it's the _right way_," he urged with all the persuasive power at his disposal.

Without a backward glance the _Iksen_ turned to the door. Roman - surrounded and supported by Emery, Sophia, and Lukas - walked out of the room to face his people for the first time as their true leader.


	50. Chapter 50

_**[I am not sure when I will be able to update again - this has been a busy week, and the weekend looks to be similar. But I hope this gives you some sense of what's to come... :)]**_

...

The mass of bodies filling the plaza was not truly a mob, not yet. The Atrians who had gathered were an audience for now, watching and waiting, but they seemed perfectly willing to move from interested observer to violent participant should the opportunity arise.

Roman hesitated in the doorway, suddenly unsure of how to proceed. He had not expected this crunch of bodies, and despite his earlier confidence, he suddenly wondered if he really could convince them to follow him. He turned back to Emery and she saw it all in his eyes, without the need for words.

"I'll follow your lead, Roman, you know that. But… Remember, they're your people, and right now they just really need to know you're okay, first. We'll figure out the next step from there, alright?" Emery ran the back of her hand against the back of his lightly, a reminder of the secret code they had developed in the hallways of Marshall High. The gesture said everything: it said, "I am here. I won't leave you. I trust you." Roman smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," he mouthed to her, then reached past her for Sophia's hand and together, the siblings pushed their way into the crowd.

Lukas and Emery watched from the stoop as a wave of rumor spread before the _Iksen_ and his sister, slicing a stunned path through the crowd ahead of them. They made their way unencumbered to the center of the plaza and the crowd twined back together seamlessly, a visual reminder to Emery and Lukas that they were just outsiders to whatever transpired next.

One quarter of the plaza, the area between them and the stage Roman and Sophia now climbed, had already settled into surprised silence. It spread slowly outward around the circle, until a quiet susurration was all that remained of the earlier chanting and yelling.

Roman looked out and saw… an ocean. It was daunting, too daunting; so he looked down. He looked down into the faces of those nearest his feet, and saw not an ocean but a family, a mother and father and their adolescent son, all staring at him in awe. He smiled at them and reached down into his own gut. That was no ocean out there at all, he realized. Each of those moving dots was an Atrian, with needs and fears and loves and secrets. He closed his eyes briefly as the enormity of belonging to them – belonging as only a true leader can - settled onto him heavily.

"My name is Roman, son of the late Nox," Roman began in a clear voice when he opened his eyes, "I am your _Iksen_… And I am alive and well." The crowd erupted in a chaos of both joyous cheers and shocked sobs.

Roman, needing to regain their attention, searched for eyes in the sudden storm of emotion; into every pair of eyes he found, he smiled warmly and whispered a simple greeting: "_Alyakson_", "Hello". They invariably welcomed him in return, soothed by his kind presence, and soon the immediate vicinity of the stage had calmed enough that Roman could continue.

"I am sure there have been rumors," he said, "but the time for rumors is over. The truth is stronger than any lie." There was a murmur of assent now, as the crowd adjusted to this newer and more compelling drama unfolding before them.

"I was poisoned, and I nearly died," their Iksen called out, but before the crowd could overreact he shouted them down. "And my life was saved! I was saved, by a human." He paused for a moment to let the words sink in. "My life is indebted to the _very same_ human that poison was meant to kill!" The audience gasped; they were his now, he could feel it. This story he wove was better than their legends from the old planet; Roman felt the power of that, the near-hypnosis of the crowd hanging on his every word. He must be careful not to use this power recklessly. "I know there are some here who hate the humans," he called out, "but you _must_ see it yourself, by now - your _Iksen_ cannot follow you down that path. To do so would be to cut out one of my own hearts." A self-righteous hiss began, as neighbors turned accusatory eyes on each other, wondering who could be so wretched as to hurt their beautiful and charismatic young _Iksen_ that way. "But!" Roman shouted again, pulling them back to him carefully, "I refuse to hate those who think that way. I _pity_ them, instead, and so should you. Pity their narrow-mindedness, pity the smallness of their hearts, pity them their hatred – because hatred grows right here," he pressed one hand against his own chest to illustrate his point, "where only love should grow! If they have chosen hate," Roman frowned, "They have done so at the sacrifice of love." He turned to Sophia and pulled her forward.

"My sister and I want only to honor the memory of our father, and our uncle, but we need your help. Theirs was a legacy of peace. Help us finish the work they started. We must begin here, today… with Vega."

…

By the time Gloria left the apartment, it was nearly curfew back in the Sector. Drake and Taylor looked at each other warily, neither sure how to broach the subject of the conversation that had just transpired.

"She's more serious about this than I thought," Drake finally said. "I mean, I know successful Integration is her job and everything, but she takes it to a whole new level of commitment."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Taylor smiled back, relieved. "She is totally on our side."

"Yeah, but… why?"

"Oh, who cares?" Taylor would not let Drake's suspicions cloud her joy. "Can't we just be happy about all of this?"

"Yeah, sure, and I _am_ happy, but it just seems… almost _too_ generous."

Taylor kept a smile affixed to her face, but her eyes betrayed the hurt his words caused her. She felt they deserved a little generosity from people at this point. Hiding did not come naturally to Taylor, but she struggled to explain those feelings to Drake, who was absentmindedly rubbing Aria's back as she slept between them. He finally looked at Taylor, and felt ashamed at the pain he realized his words caused her.

"Taylor, this isn't about us," he promised. "You and Aria… you're the best things in my life. You're the reason I wake up every day, and yours is the last face I want to see when I go to sleep at night. I swear." Drake stood up, dragging Taylor along with him and encircling her in his broad arms. "I love you, Taylor, and I love the man you've helped me become. So since it's the topic of the hour," he continued, smiling down into her deep brown eyes and pausing for a gentle kiss, "I guess there's only one thing left to do."

Drake's pause this time was longer, as he leaned back to take in the beauty of her once more. She had made him whole, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her feel whole, too.

"Taylor, will you marry me?"


	51. Chapter 51

_**[I'm baaack!]**_

...

Taylor gazed adoringly into Drake's eyes. He really was quite nearly perfect. She raised herself onto her tiptoes so she could kiss him, fill him with all the love she had for him. He responded in kind, lifting her up to his level by the waist. Lost in each other, they gave in temporarily to the passion Drake's request had caused.

"No!" she gasped finally, breaking away and panting at the intensity of their kiss. She tried to straighten her clothes and regain some dignity.

"No, I won't marry you." There was sadness in her eyes as she said the words.

Drake nearly dropped Taylor in surprise.

"What? But… This is what you two wanted, what Gloria was saying…" Drake turned away from her; he felt lost, confused, embarrassed. This was not how he had imagined this moment. His jaw worked as he tried to stem his emotions, to keep the humiliation hidden from Taylor. After a minute of silence, her hand settled lightly on his elbow, and gently but relentlessly pulled him back around to face her.

"You fool, that's the problem," Taylor murmured, grabbing his hands. "I won't marry you just because it's what Gloria wants, or because she has a plan for us. I _do_ want you - but only if it's what _you_ want, too." Uncertainty fluttered over her face as she spoke. Hope flooded back into Drake's chest, and he grinned down at Taylor.

"Of course it's what I want!" His longing for her drove his voice into a low growl. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Taylor, all I have _ever_ wanted was a family, and you and Aria gave me that." His voice was still husky, and his jaw tightened again as he worked to steady it. "I'm not asking you to marry me because it's what Gloria wants. I am asking you to marry me because it's what I _need_." Drake's voice cracked on the last word, unable to carry the burden of his emotions. Taylor smiled as tears welled in her eyes.

"Well; in that case, yes, of course I'll marry you," she managed to choke out just before he bent to cover her mouth with a grateful kiss. Tearful laughter escaped her and she pressed into him, encouraging him, but Drake froze, ever mindful of the sleeping child behind them on the sofa.

He very quietly grabbed Taylor's hips, dragging her up high enough that her legs could encircle his waist, and carried her down the hall to the bedroom. They made it to the bed just before Taylor's hunger overtook her; she pushed Drake down on the bedspread, still straddling him, and smiled mischievously as she began to undress. Drake's eyes wandered happily over her curves; he tried to estimate how long he had before his need for her overtook his patience, and came up with a figure: no time at all.

…

Emery and Lukas slipped through the tatters of the crowd with relative ease now. Roman's speech had ended with a reminder that curfew would be imposed shortly, and an exhortation to his people to trust in him, to go home and be with their families, and to celebrate the time they had together. The citizens of the Sector, however, began to disperse only after he jumped off the stage and made himself available for face-to-face greetings and hugs. The young Iksen's approachability, his natural desire to be among the people, had earned him a soft space in their hearts; they wanted to be as good as he told them they could. Whether the magic would wear off with the coming of a new day, they would need to wait and see. For now, though, the emotional high of the evening carried Emery headlong toward Roman; he saw her coming and stepped away from the crowd, far too eager to hold her again. Lukas and Sophia had to physically block their paths, in order to maintain some semblance of decorum for those Atrians still dawdling around the plaza. This was not the time to make the full circumstances of Roman's salvation such public knowledge. They needed to get back inside, somewhere private. Sophia's suggestion to return to the temporary mausoleum-turned-convalescent quarters made sense – it was only a few hundred yards away - and the four of them hurried inside.

The _Hwatab_ had left at some point, but within minutes Julia slipped inside. She had come by to relieve Drake, so habituated to their roster of guarding Roman and Emery that it had not occurred to her tonight would be any different. Her eyes were wide dark pools of excitement as she pushed the door closed and leaned against it, panting slightly.

"Oh. My. God. Roman, you were fantastic! No offense Emery, but I swear we _all_ fell in love with him tonight!" Emery gave Julia a warm hug, and Lukas and Sophia rushed to Julia's side, curious to know what she had seen and how she had gotten back to them. Julia told them about getting caught up in the momentum as a wave of Atrians surged toward the plaza, how she had managed to slide to the edge of the crowd and keep moving – until she saw Roman and Sophia mount the stage. She was far enough away that the crowd around her kept hushing each other, straining to hear Roman's message.

"And, alright, I admit it - it was so quiet I was a little tempted to scream, just to ease the tension!" she laughed; but she sobered again quickly as she described the audience's reaction to Roman's suggestion that they pity Vega.

"They understand what you want, and I think they want to believe it's possible… but I heard a _lot_ of muttering about Vega. Apparently, Atrian parents don't really like her recruitment strategies," Julia commented with raised eyebrows. "I had never thought about it from their perspective before. It must suck, finding out your child wants to be a Trag."

"Understatement of the year, I'd think," Lukas added. "Imagine finding out your child was a Redhawk. How would you feel?" Julia frowned at him.

"My child would _never_ be a Redhawk," she responded archly.

"Sorry to interrupt," Emery cut in, "But what happens now?" She looked exhausted. It suddenly occurred to everyone that Emery had only come out of her Havthra-induced state about twelve hours prior. Roman felt terrible, recalling their passionate reunion earlier and regretting his lack of self-control. He rushed to her side now, scolding himself as he led her to the beds that still took up a third of the room. Lukas, Sophia, and Julia tried to find somewhere else to be, but this was a tiny unit, never intended for five inhabitants. They ended up sitting at the table around which the _Hwatab_ had gathered earlier; unconsciously, the three friends also assumed an air of counsel, bending slightly forward to discuss what would – or should – or could – happen in the coming days.

Julia wanted to announce Emery and Roman's relationship. What could be better, she advocated, than using Roman's current popularity to promote Integration by introducing everyone to his charming human girlfriend? Sophia, however, was vehemently opposed to this idea. Was she the _only_ one who still remembered what the past week had been like? The Trags still existed. Vega still had at least a few followers, and nobody had seen her since the discovery of Teri's body. Lukas, torn between his loyalty to Julia and a desire to please Sophia, ended up pissing off both girls when he refused to choose either side. As the argument became more heated, their raised voices drew Roman to the table as well. Emery was resting, finally, and Roman wanted to keep it that way.

"May I ask a question?" Roman's honest curiosity threw a glass of cold water over the dispute between Julia and Sophia. "What's going on outside? I have to catch up on the politics, fast, if I'm going to be playing politics with the humans."

"Oh wow, where to start," Lukas exhaled. He was grateful for the distraction. "Were you still asleep when they arrested Vartan?"

"Vartan's been arrested?" Roman looked confused, but not unhappy to hear this news. "Why?"

"Roman… he was the shooter," Sophia whispered, suddenly reminded of just how much he had missed.

"Yeah, and he gave up a bunch of other Redhawks," Lukas explained. "Including Grayson." There was a moment – it was so brief, none of them could really be sure they saw it – where Roman's face darkened with satisfaction at the news of Grayson's arrest. He quickly smoothed his features into a more neutral expression and nodded solemnly.

"And what has that done for the Redhawks in general?" he pressed.

"Well, they've suffered a blow, that's for sure," Lukas continued, "But since we never really knew how many there were to begin with, it's hard to say what kind of a blow. I know the Montroses aren't dealing well. I think they've been more focused on Grayson than their hate-mongering the past few days."

Julia piped up now, too.

"And I know the _Hwatab_ have been updating Gloria regularly about what's happening in the Sector, for what it's worth," she added. Roman groaned.

"I know we need her, but I don't have to like hearing about her," Roman muttered. "What else? How long have you all been absent from school?"

"Well, um, all this week," Julia answered, rolling her eyes. "It's been _kind of _low on the priority list!"

"Ignore her flippant attitude," Lukas jumped in with a sigh. "Gloria got the school to give all of the humans at the ceremony a week of leave." Sophia glanced down quickly, hoping Roman's inquiry would stop there. It didn't.

"What about the rest of the Atrian 7? Were they all granted a week of leave from school, too?" Julia, Lukas, and Sophia shared a guilty look. None of them wanted to be responsible for sharing the news.

"Roman, listen: the Atrian 7… the program has been suspended," Sophia finally admitted.


	52. Chapter 52

Lukas, Sophia, and Julia held their breath, waiting for Roman to react to the news that Integration seemed to have hit its largest roadblock to date. They were thrown off-balance when he merely pursed his lips, nodded calmly, and then steepled his fingers together under his chin as he pondered Sophia's news. He was already changing, adapting to the expectations and demands of leadership even while they watched.

Roman considered who would have done something so stupid. This decision wasn't coming from Gloria. She wouldn't make such a drastic move. Saul? The principal had less backbone than an amoeba. He barely took a piss without Gloria's permission. The school board, then. They had been resistant in the past – including about allowing Atrians to attend the Homecoming carnival. They must have finally gotten the votes they needed to suspend Integration, somehow. But suspension was a temporary thing. Suspension could be lifted.

"How do we fix it? How do we make the board reverse their decision?" Roman asked his impromptu advisors. They were a ragtag substitute _Hwatab_, admittedly, but they also got more accomplished than the elders ever did. Only Drake was missing to round out the table, and Roman forgave him the absence. He had sacrificed enough recently for their cause.

"You could go to the school board and, you know, magic-speech-ify them," Julia suggested, only half-joking. It had worked on a mob of a thousand; maybe the school board would be equally susceptible?

"It's not _actually_ a super power, Julia," Emery piped up from across the room. She was propped up on her elbow, watching them all and feeling reflective. A year ago, she and Julia were in an isolated section of the hospital, their own bodies eating at them. Lukas always came to visit - but more often than not it was a visit through a window, in case he carried germs that could infect the girls. Now, a simple act of pure kindness 10 years ago had come full circle, and Emery and Roman were irrevocably tied to each other. Along the way they had dragged those closest to them into their net, as well.

"It might as _well_ be a super power," Julia muttered under her breath.

Roman frowned at Emery.

"You're supposed to be getting your rest," he scolded, moving to her side and running the fingers of one hand gently along her jaw.

"And let you plot without me? Ha! Unlikely," Emery smiled back; she loved the way his brow creased when he worried about her.

"Well, since you've scoffed at my idea, and no one else has made a better suggestion, I'm not sure there's much more we can do tonight," Julia said. "Why don't we all sleep on it? Maybe things will seem clearer in the morning."

Julia's words drew everyone's attention to how tired they were. Roman, in particular, suddenly felt as though the tide of frenetic energy that had pulled him along to this point was now ebbing, dragging him under a wave of exhaustion. The friends did their best to make themselves comfortable in the cramped space, hoping a good night's sleep really could fix everything.

…

Friday morning was a crisp, clear day – in fact, it was very nearly wintry. A cold snap had settled in overnight, and Louisiana apartments weren't built for these temperatures. Taylor woke up to discover Aria had crawled into bed beside her overnight, and that Drake had slipped out already. She hated when he did that; he came and went like a ghost. She knew why he had to – he would have been hard to miss, walking down the streets of Edendale in broad daylight – but it tugged at her heart painfully. _Gloria's plan better work._

The hot water of the shower felt even better on a chilly morning. Taylor slipped on a thick robe before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Drake had been busy. He had prepared a traditional Atrian breakfast for his girls, and set it on the counter next to a scrap of yellow paper, on which he'd scribbled two hearts. When Taylor picked it up, she realized he had written "Aria" inside one, and "Taylor" inside the other. It was such a simple, sweet gesture; she started to cry, missing him even more. The only thing that stopped her was the sound of Aria calling her sleepily from the bedroom.

Taylor sighed and silently cursed the lack of coffee in the apartment. It had been the first thing she'd done when Aria moved in, removing all the potential allergens. If Aria accidentally ate something poisonous while under her care, Taylor knew Drake would never forgive her.

She headed back to the bedroom and Aria jumped off the bed into her arms. Taylor smiled and told her that Drake had made them breakfast because he had to leave so early; Aria whined a bit but when she saw the Atrian flatbread Drake had prepared, she perked up again.

Taylor got a text from Gloria while she and Aria were washing up: _He's confirmed. 10:00 p.m. _The message sent a shiver through Taylor that had nothing to do with the weather. This was what she'd been waiting for. She turned to the little girl.

"Aria, I think we need to go shopping today, okay? You and I need some new clothes," she suggested, squatting down to Aria's eye level. Before they could go out, though, Aria would need a bit of foundation, and a little powder…

The end result was terrifyingly realistic. Taylor glowed with pride at the finished product – a little human girl, who looked just like her. The markings on Aria's face were hidden under expertly-applied makeup, and the rest of her body was covered by pants and her grey sweatshirt. The cold weather provided the perfect excuse to bundle up - she would blend right in. And since there was a charming little boutique two storefronts down, they wouldn't even need to cross the street to get what they needed.

They were gone less than an hour. If there was one thing Taylor could do well, it was shop. The girls spread their purchases on the floor of the living room, reviewing the collection of brightly-colored garments they had found. Aria's smile lit the room as she pulled out a cute white dress sprinkled with delicate daisies.

"I love it, sweetheart, but before you put it on let me get this yucky stuff off your face," Taylor said, grabbing a wet washcloth and tackling the makeup. It was magical to see the Aria she knew and loved, reappearing as she worked. She hadn't realized how much the Atrians' markings helped define who they were.

…

Drake slipped into the darkened pod and was surprised to find Lukas standing guard just inside the door. It was not his shift.

"Hey man, what's up? How's Taylor?" Lukas asked quietly, with an easy smile. Any discomfort he had once felt around the hulking Atrian had disappeared over the course of the past week. While they would not have been natural friends under other circumstances, Lukas respected Drake's devotion to Roman and Drake appreciated the loyalty Lukas had repeatedly demonstrated for Emery.

"She's good, thanks. A little bored. I think she actually misses school at this point," Drake whispered back. He glanced around the cramped room, and his nose wrinkled at the unfamiliar smells of so many humans in this confined space. "What did I miss?"

"Oh wow – so much." Lukas gave a very condensed account of the terrifying semi-mob, Roman's discussion with the _Hwatab_, his electrifying speech to the people, and the current dilemma regarding the suspended Integration program.

"Actually, Gloria was talking about that last night, too," Drake mentioned. Lukas cocked his head to the side in surprise and Roman, who had been surreptitiously listening in, suddenly sat up.

"You saw Gloria last night? Where?"

"She stopped by Taylor's," Drake explained. "They're kind of… friends… I think. She's also Taylor's guardian sometimes, or something." Drake had blanked out a bit when Taylor originally explained it all – she had been wearing a very pretty, very low-cut blouse that day, and it was just so distracting, the way her breasts shifted against the thin fabric every time she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He remembered that top fondly. It was one of a growing number of now-destroyed clothing items he probably should replace for Taylor at some point.

"... Drake? ... About Gloria?" Roman's impatience cut through the soft warmth of Drake's daydream. He cleared his throat.

"Anyway, Gloria was talking about Integration and said she was able to organize a special town hall meeting for Saturday night. Apparently, there are several local businesses that want to have access to the Sector. They're pissed at the school board because the black market inside the Sector will just keep growing if Integration fails."

"A meeting tomorrow? Ok. Do you know where? And what time?" Roman demanded. A night of sleep had done wonders for him, but now he felt the call to action thundering through his chest. Tomorrow was so far away, and until then what could they do?

"We need to prepare," he answered his own unspoken question. Drake said he wasn't sure about the time or location, but he could ask Taylor tonight when he slipped out to see her. Roman nodded his silent approval of the idea.

Emery - who had woken up within minutes of Roman - now slipped up behind him and snaked her arms around his waist, pressing her hands against his taut stomach. She remembered the electric feeling of his body colliding into her hand that day – it felt like a year ago, now – when they were searching for a kidnapped Grayson and she had spotted him relaxing on the porch of the Boxwood mansion. At that time, it had physically hurt her to imagine the possibility of a relationship with Roman… now though, she ran a thumb possessively over the scar just above Roman's hip, and pressed her forehead into his back, her heart over-filled with the joy of him.

Roman ended the conversation with Drake and Lukas quickly, and pivoted to face Emery. He traced the contour of her neck and shoulder softly with one hand, finally taking a quick moment to contemplate how he had gone from certain death to a life so close to pitch-perfect, seemingly overnight. He quite literally owed Emery _every_thing; all he wanted now was the time, and the space, to pay that debt back to her, a hundred-fold.

"Good morning," he finally whispered.

"_Yakson_," she whispered back in greeting, enjoying the fresh look of surprised admiration in his eyes every time she broke out a new phrase in her limited Sondiv arsenal. Emery was grateful for Sophia's discretion on this point; if Roman knew how hard his sister had worked teaching Emery just these few survival expressions, he might feel pity instead of pride.

"So, _Iksen_, what's on the agenda for today?" Emery asked, still wrapped tightly around him.

"First, breakfast," Roman announced with a mischievous grin. "And then, Miss Whitehill, I think it is about time for my people to meet the girl who saved their leader's life. What do you say?"


	53. Chapter 53

_**[Please join me in thanking the awesome Marina Black1, whose beta work has helped keep this fiction on track time and again. She is a great sounding board, and I appreciate her patience with me. You all should too. :) And remember, my pretties: the more you write, the more I write! I love your feedback.]**_

...

Drake took on the role of personal security detail very seriously. He insisted that he be the first out the door Saturday morning, and watched with all the vigilance of a new parent as Roman led Emery onto the street. Julia and Lukas followed, and Sophia trailed behind, closing the door behind them. Emery couldn't help a small giggle, surrounded by this entourage of Atrian and human friends.

"Really Drake, this is so unnecessary. I've been in the Sector before. Remember?" She rolled her eyes at Roman, but he also seemed to have lost all sense of humor. Emery looked for Julia then, instead. Surely her irrepressible friend would agree with her that this was all overkill. Instead, she caught sight of Sophia's expression - and that, alone, finally sobered Emery.

"I don't get it," she finally confessed to Roman. "I'm not trying to be ridiculous; I know I'm not the Trags' favorite human... but I really thought your speech had changed things."

"I hope so," he replied, "But we can't be sure. Even if it had an impact, I suspect _real_ change will take more time. Emery, remember that nobody knows you're the one who saved me; not yet. That's our goal today. To get them to see you as I see you," he reached out and squeezed her hand gently. He wanted his people to meet the real Emery Whitehill: the girl who had fought for Atrians even when they wanted nothing to do with her, who had saved Roman's life when he was just a strange little boy and again, years later, after the pair had discovered their own hopes and dreams mirrored in each other. He desperately wanted them to do what he had done: to fall in love with her.

Roman's words helped Emery understand the full weight of his expectations for the day. Her palms started to sweat. She stopped suddenly, causing Lukas to nearly collide with her – and Sophia to _actually_ collide with him. The two of them giggled, embarrassed, as he caught her in a gentle hug and reluctantly returned her to her feet.

"Roman, I can't do it," Emery whispered tremulously. She looked at him and her eyes pleaded for his forgiveness.

"What do you mean?" Roman had not expected Emery to get cold feet. She was fearless. Always.

"What if they hate me? I might say something stupid or offensive. What if they start to think of you poorly because I mess everything up?" She was trembling now; the Atrians needed Roman, she was absolutely certain he was the best thing for his people. She didn't want to ruin that for him. When she had spoken out all those times before, she had only been responsible for her own reputation. This was _very_ different.

Roman struggled to answer her. He glanced at their friends, hoping for assistance: Julia was actively staring up at the clouds overhead, whistling tunelessly. No help there. Lukas and Sophia were not even listening: they were caught up in their own private universe, it seemed. Drake cleared his throat and spoke.

"Emery, the fact that you're worried about it proves you can't mess it up," he pointed out. He smiled at her. "I know I gave you both a hard time at first, but you're the best thing that ever happened to Roman. Our people need to see that. And if you just act like yourself, they will, I promise," he vowed to her.

Something about the tall Atrian's deep voice and expressive eyes calmed Emery. She could see why Taylor had fallen for him so hard. She nodded silently, bit her lip to mask her apprehension, and stepped forward again.

Roman decided to start with a soft target; a walk down one of the larger boulevards, where families congregated in the mornings to make their grocery purchases. He knew Emery's easy rapport with children would go over well in that crowd.

She did not disappoint. No sooner had they rounded the corner than Emery slipped away to crouch down by a little girl eyeing a bowl of goldfish at one of the stands. She chatted easily with the girl, who was eager to practice the English she had been learning in Sector school. Roman stepped up to the girls parents – who were watching the exchange apprehensively.

"_Yakson_," he greeted them, introducing himself. The young couple were eager and honored to meet their _Iksen_ in person_._ They had not been in the plaza yesterday, but their neighbors had gone and were impressed by Roman's words. He smiled.

"Please let me introduce you to the human who saved my life," he told them, reaching out for Emery. She stood and greeted the couple warmly, telling them what a lovely and charming child they had.

"The English teacher at the Sector school is doing an excellent job," she added, and the mother beamed. Roman chuckled.

"Emery Whitehill, allow me to introduce you to Anton and his wife, Tara. Who is the English teacher at the Sector school." Emery blushed beautifully.

"Oh my god - I really didn't know!"

"It's okay," Tara laughed, smiling at Emery warmly. "Thank you for the compliment. And thank you for saving our _Iksen_. We are so grateful to you." Emery was taken aback by their sincerity, and spoke without thinking.

"I had no choice," she said honestly. "I did what anyone in my place would have done."

The Atrian couple smiled knowingly at each other.

Within a few minutes, Roman and Emery had attracted a small crowd. Drake was beside himself with anxiety. There were too many people to track; he finally tapped Lukas to help him keep an eye on the star couple. Sophia and Julia decided to wander ahead and spread the news to those that would be most sympathetic, seeding the audience around Emery and Roman. Sophia helped Julia identify which families were known as ardent supporters of Nox and his ideals.

To Emery, the rest of the morning passed in a blur. It was like being bathed in warm silk, to discover just how much the Atrian community really loved Roman - and to see that with his implicit approval, they were ready and willing to love her, too.

Toward the end of the morning, a whisper started to float among the shopkeepers and patrons of the open-air market. Sophia finally caught wind of the whispered word, and her face blanched as she considered whether or not to tell Roman. Maybe he had already heard? She looked for her brother, and caught him blissfully watching Emery as she practiced counting in Sondiv with a gaggle of children. She was fully engaged with the youngsters, but to Sophia – to anyone watching, really - it was clear that a part of her still rested with Roman. From this distance, Sophia could finally see why that particular word was haunting the crowd.

Roman and Emery moved together seamlessly; to watch them was to watch the dance of the heavens, a pair of binary stars circling each other, feeding off each other's gravity.

The people could hardly be blamed for surreptitiously referring to the pair as "_Iksayan"._

Sophia bit her lip and stared around at the crowd fearfully. She tried to gauge reactions, to see if there were any upset faces. Panicking quietly to herself, she wondered how long it would take for this news to get back to the _Hwatab_… and how they would react.


	54. Chapter 54

_**[Whew. This one's a bit longer than my usual fare. I really, really hope you like it.]**_

...

The Zwahan elder strode toward the group of teenagers purposefully; Sophia's clear blue eyes tracked his path as she considered how to handle this. She wouldn't have to wait long at all to learn the _Hwatab_'s reaction, apparently.

"Julia. We need to go," she murmured. With her chin she pointed out the elder's approach, and grabbed Julia's elbow. Sophia was not given to overreaction: Julia followed immediately, full of absolute trust in her friend.

The two sliced through the crowd and arrived at Drake's side so suddenly he jumped.

"Dammit Sophia – I almost took you out!" he growled. "You all _really_ need to start taking this more seriously!"

"Don't tell me about taking things seriously – look who's coming," Sophia retorted. Drake looked up and, with the advantage of his height, caught the progress of the Zwahan elder as well.

"Okay, yup. Time to go." Drake stepped forward; the crowd cleaved before his bulk easily. He bent down to Roman's ear and reminded him that he had an "important meeting" in a few minutes. The _Iksen_ did not miss a beat. He smiled charmingly, thanked the older couple who were trying to press a gift of food into his arms, and apologized to everyone for having to leave. He made sure to mention Emery's name before they left, as well, thanking the Atrians for their kindness and generosity to this human who had believed in him when all others believed him lost. He turned to Drake then, allowing the question to hover momentarily in the air between them. Drake jerked his head back toward their pod instead, and took Emery lightly by the elbow.

"It's time we headed back for that important meeting Roman has," Drake said to her by way of explanation. To her credit, Emery was nearly as quick as Roman.

"Wha- Oh, yes, right. I had forgotten," she said with a bright smile. She waved goodbye to the children, called out a hasty "_Aldovos"_ to the adults, and then tried to keep up with Drake's massive strides as he ushered the group back down the boulevard – away from the elder.

"Okay seriously, what's going on?" Emery asked as soon as they had rounded the corner. The six friends kept moving even as they chatted.

"I don't know," Drake said, "Ask her." They all looked at Sophia for clarification.

"Roman… the Zwahan elder was coming our way," Sophia began, licking her lips nervously.

"So? I don't see the problem," Roman answered. "The _Hwatab_ are aware of Emery, Soph." His sister sighed and ran her hands through her hair. Had she just imagined it all? _No. Not possible._

"Roman, that crowd, they were… they were calling you… _Iksayan_." She wrinkled her nose and closed her eyes, waiting for the fallout.

Julia, Emery, and Lukas just frowned, confused.

Roman stopped abruptly and swore under his breath.

Drake stopped too, and laughed in disbelief.

"No way! It's not possible. She's not even Atrian!"

"So?" Roman shot back, suddenly defensive. "Come on, Drake: do you _really_ still believe that matters?" Drake just looked back at Roman as if waiting for antlers to appear on his head.

"For me, of course not, but I'm nothing, I'm nobody. But you're the _Iksen_. It's just not possible."

"Okay stop," Emery cut in. "I need more information. What is going on? And why does it all matter so much to the _Hwatab_?"

Sophia put one hand gently on Emery's shoulder.

"Not here," she explained, and took off once again for the tiny pod by the plaza that had become their unofficial headquarters.

Everyone else followed suit, silently. Julia and Emery exchanged a look as they set off; Sophia was usually perfectly happy to let Roman be in the lead, so it was easy to forget she was actually next in line to lead her people. Lukas, for his part, smiled inwardly: Sophia taking charge was pretty damn sexy. He couldn't wait for another chance to be alone with her. He wondered suddenly if she even knew about Taylor and Drake. As far he could tell, it was a very poorly-kept secret… but Sophia had been out of the loop so much recently, she really might not know that Drake crept out to Taylor each evening. He hurt to think of Sophia, heart-broken by the discovery of her secret crush's not-so-secret relationship.

…

Safely back in the pod, Roman and Drake set about preparing the space for the inevitable visit from the _Hwatab_. They estimated they had at most three minutes to lend an air of gravitas to their chosen battleground.

Emery pulled Sophia to the side and demanded an explanation.

"What is it? What does _Iksayan_ mean?!" she tried to keep the edge of panic out of her voice, and failed. Sophia, finally seeing it all from the human perspective, hugged her friend close in apology.

"I am _so_ sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, Em," she declared. "But it's not necessarily something bad… in fact, it might be… good… in the long run. I think. I guess it depends on what hap- "

"They're here!" Lukas announced from his perch by the window. A burst of frenzied activity put the finishing touches on the room, and then Drake stepped forward to greet the _Hwatab_. He smiled at the Vwasak elder, hoping to get a read on the situation from the Atrian who had helped him with Aria, but a stone wall of silence rebuffed him.

Only after all four of the _Hwatab_ were seated around the table did anyone speak. It was the Iwabas elder, whose voice was so rarely heard that her simple words often carried more weight than the more verbal Vwasak and Zwahan elders.

"_Iksen_, thank you for your words of kindness toward Vega last night," she began. "She is a daughter of my tribe, but I am pained to say she lost her way years ago. Teri's tragic death has injured her more than she has shared with anyone. I hope ultimately it will be a turning point for her, and your compassion in the circumstances may make all the difference."

"Thank you," Roman responded simply, humbled by her words.

"Yes, well. I think you can imagine, we were all quite impressed by the reports we received of your speech last night. None of us were present, of course, so we did not actually witness it," began the Zwahan elder. With his long grey hair and blue eyes, he struck Emery as looking very much like a wizard.

"But that is not, in fact, the reason for our visit today," the Vwasak elder stepped in.

_Finally, maybe someone will get to the explanations now. _Emery fidgeted impatiently by the window, where she and Julia had retreated after the Hwatab arrived. They flanked Lukas, who was still perched on the stool that had served as his lookout post. Unconsciously, all three humans leaned forward, eager to understand what had changed with such apparent suddenness.

"Roman, when we spoke to you last week, you made an arrangement with us - one that we can no longer honor." The Vwasak elder looked quite somber as he spoke.

"No, wait - that's not fair! It wasn't just an 'arrangement', it was a promise, based on good faith on my part," Roman shot back immediately. His blood was pounding through him far too loudly; he tried to breath deeply, to calm down. They could not go back on their word. His future was dependent on that vow.

The Zwahan elder smiled and interrupted. He placed both hands on the table, palms up, in a placating move.

"I'm sorry. I think you may have misunderstood my friend," he began. He shot a disgruntled look at the larger Atrian, who settled back in his chair with a grunt. "Originally, you led us to believe that by arranging a marriage with Ray Whitehill's daughter, you would be making a politically savvy choice. We understood that this union would help bring about your father's ultimate dream – full Integration.

"But now we see, Roman – there is a much deeper relationship here than you expressed to us at that time." Roman bit his lip and hung his head, unable to look at Emery. He had been planning to tell her all about this that night, after the dinner. This was not how she should hear her marriage proposal. Color flooded up the back of his neck and across his cheeks in shame.

"It's true. I care for her deeply. More than you can possibly know," Roman began, "But that doesn't change anything. The marriage would still have been a very wise move, politically." Behind him, he heard a furious exhalation of breath and closed his eyes, hating himself more than at any other time in their relationship. What she must think of him… he didn't want to know.

Emery, meanwhile, was glaring daggers at Julia, whose eyes sparked dangerously. Emery knew that look of Julia's. This was not the time to inflame the situation with gender politics. She and Roman would definitely have a very serious, very uncomfortable fight – but later, not here. Not with the _Hwatab_. Besides, nobody had explained _Iksayan_ to her yet, and that curiosity was burning through the core of her.

"Roman, we agree with you. After Miss Whitehill saved your life, it became obvious to all of us that you two share a special bond. We suspected, but had no evidence, that the bond might be deeper than even you had guessed."

_Ohhh._ "_Iksayan_." The way Roman said the word, it sounded like a curse. Emery's blood chilled and time slowed. This was what she had been waiting for, but now that they were discussing it, she felt a hard knot in her stomach, a sense of foreboding.

"_Iksayan_," the Iwabas elder repeated, but her voice was full of excitement, not sorrow. "If it's true, it's the first time in over 200 years. We will have to look through our oldest records to make sure we understand the confirmation process."

Roman looked up quickly – he was barely able to believe he had read her tone correctly. The older woman's eyes smiled into his warmly, and she nodded at him, answering his unspoken question.

"There's no reason to believe it must be limited to an Atrian partner. But we must ask for your patience, as we review the texts and laws carefully," she warned him.

"If it's true," the Swamad elder finally spoke up, "Emery Whitehill belongs to the Atrian people - just as much as you do." He smiled back at Emery, the first of the elders to actually acknowledge her. Emery smiled back nervously. That last sentence had sounded almost ominous.

"Come here, child," the Vwasak elder intoned. His commanding voice was hard to ignore. She found herself by Roman's side, and put her hand on his shoulder automatically. The Iwabas and Swamad elders smiled at each other in confirmation.

Hope, that most fragile emotion, seeped from the tips of Emery's fingers and into Roman's bones. He felt his skin warming to her touch, his breath quickening at her proximity. Was it possible she did not hate him right now? He had just confessed to using her as a political bargaining chip. He hated _himself_.

"Do you understand what it means, that the people have suggested you two are _Iksayan_?" The Vwasak elder peered closely at her, testing her.

"No. I don't," she answered shakily. It was pointless to lie. "But… I think I… I might be getting an idea," she continued slowly.

Roman jerked his face up toward her, wondering what she could possibly mean.

"I've been studying Sondiv. - Just a little bit, when I have a chance, you know," Emery explained. "And the word for 'sun' – it's _Ksen_, isn't it? As in, Roman is the _I-ksen_?"

The elders smiled and nodded, but remained silent.

"And the plural of 'sun" – it's _Ksayan_? …Right. So then, the _I-ksayan_… would be… more than one _Iksen_?" She stopped now; having walked herself into a linguistic corner, she was unsure what to do next. She was rescued this time by the Zwahan elder.

"Nicely done, Miss Whitehill. You must have an excellent teacher." Sophia smiled with quiet pride and stood a little straighter. The elder continued.

"Sometimes - very, very rarely, mind you, but sometimes - the relationship between an _Iksen_ and his or her spouse transcends typical bonds of marriage. The two, in essence, become one. They are mutually dependent; they resemble what you humans call a binary star system. In these cases, the _Iksen_ and the spouse are seen and respected by the community as equals of each other. It would appear that our people believe this may be the nature of your relationship with Roman."

Emery felt the air thinning, and tiny bursts of bright color exploded in the backs of her eyes. Nausea crept into the hard knot that had recently taken up so much space in her stomach; Roman leapt out of his chair just in time to catch her as she leaned dangerously sideways. He swung her into his arms and carried her to the pallet that had been shoved hastily into one corner of the room.

"Roman," she begged him, her eyes blinking back open. His name on her lips was too painfully sweet – it boiled the blood in his veins.

"I'll be back for you," he promised her. "Please just rest for a bit."

Emery nodded and closed her eyes briefly. She didn't see Roman whirl around, didn't see his face suffused with a quiet storm of righteous fury at the four elders. She didn't hear him harangue them for their insensitivity to her condition – she had been at death's door less than two days ago! She didn't see the pain on his face after the _Hwatab_ left, the guilt that threatened to consume him. He paced the pod like a caged tiger, ready to lash out at anyone and everyone, until finally their friends agreed it was high time to go for a late lunch.

Their escape left Roman and Emery alone... something that, for the first time in ten years, Roman realized, he did _not_ want.


	55. Chapter 55

Roman paced nervously. He waited with trepidation for Emery to wake up, both hoping for and dreading the moment when her eyes finally opened. How was he going to explain it all to her, and not lose her in the process? He knew he deserved every ounce of fury she would surely unleash on him. The Friday afternoon sun slowly moved across the sky, lengthening the room's shadows, and still Roman paced.

"So. Apparently we're getting married now. I must say, it would have been nice to be asked first," came the voice of judgment from behind him. Roman jumped, and turned back to see Emery sitting up now, looking much better. He wanted to rush to her, to make sure she was okay; only his own guilt stopped him. He had to explain first.

"Emery, it's really not like that."

"I know."

"I wanted to explain it all to you the night of the ceremony…"

"Yes, I know."

"…but I never got the chance."

_"Roman, I know!"_

"I thought that -" Emery's words finally registered. "What?"

"Roman, I know," she repeated. "I remember. I'll remember every second of that night for the rest of our lives." She stood up slowly - she was still a little unsteady – and carefully made her way to Roman's side.

"You were so excited; and you kept talking about how things were going to be different. _I remember_," Emery whispered, staring at him with a look of trust he knew he didn't deserve.

"But I need to explain," he choked out, hurt even more by the openness in her face.

"And I need an explanation," she sighed, tilting her head to one side. "I trust you… but I _do_ still need to understand what's happening." He didn't deserve her, of that Roman was now more certain than ever.

"I first thought of it because of the whole mess with Castor," Roman confessed, pulling Emery over to the table. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively as they sat together, and she leaned gratefully against him while he spoke.

"Remember when I told you that, in our past, marriages were used to unite families? I thought that if our families were united, then you – and your whole family, even your father – you'd all become a part of the _Iksen_'s family. It's a privileged position; you'd finally be completely safe." He squeezed her tighter to him, resting his chin on the top of her head and closing his eyes. During those brief hours when he'd believed his plan would work, he had felt a weight lifted from his soul. He ached for that remembered happiness.

"You have to believe me: in my negotiations with the _Hwatab_, I made it _very _clear that I would need to ask you first… And that if, and only _if,_ you agreed, the date would be set for later. Much, much later! Really, even a lengthy engagement with the _Iksen _would have afforded you a partial protection; _you_ would have been safe, at least, even though it would not have included the rest of your family yet."

"I just can't believe the elders were okay with you marrying a human," Emery pressed.

"Mm, well… They had some concerns at first," Roman answered dismissively; no need to go into those messy details now. "But eventually they could see the political advantage in a union between humans and Atrians. It would have been a great negotiating tool in trying to normalize relations between our people." He chuckled quietly. "I might not have been completely forthcoming about the real nature of our relationship, though."

"Uh-huh. I can imagine. But Roman, I still don't understand - how is all this related to the idea of the _Iksayan_?" Emery asked gently. She had originally intended to be more severe in her speech; but it was just so comforting here, wrapped within the safety of his embrace.

Roman sighed heavily.

"That was never part of the plan. The _Iksayan_ is such a rare thing; I never could have anticipated something like this. I think the _Hwatab_ still need to make sure they know whether or not it's even possible. But if it's true…" His voice faded. Emery could hear his hearts quicken. She leaned away from his torso, looking into his eyes for clarification.

"If it's true, it changes everything," Roman whispered sadly. "It's like the _Hwatab_ said; you'd belong to the Sector, Emery. Being the _Iksen_ is not about power, about controlling people and making them do what you want, like my uncle believed. Being _Iksen_ means being connected to your people, being responsible for them and answerable to them. Your life would change forever."

Emery sat back fully, eyes wide.

She barely _had_ a life yet. Was she ready to give it up so easily?

…

That night, Drake slipped out of the Sector as usual and made his way through the underground passages of Edendale. He knocked at Taylor's window but was surprised to see his own hand tremble. _Ridiculous._ There was nothing to fear. It was Taylor and Aria. It was home, family. Nothing about that had changed.

Taylor came to the window looking more unkempt than he'd ever seen her. She flung it open and rushed him into the room quickly, chattering nervously about how they were already running late. She almost forgot to lean in to him for an impatient kiss before she was off again, crossing the room in a whirl of bathrobe and hair products and some terrible, small metal thing that looked like it was meant for torture but which Taylor kept using to attack her own eyes.

Aria ran in for a hug, and Drake scooped her up easily. He asked her quietly, fearfully, what had happened to Taylor, and Aria just giggled. Taylor turned and glared at them both.

"I can hear you two. _This_ is an eyelash curler, _these _are hair curlers, and this is what it takes to make all _this_ happen!" she announced with a dramatic sweep of her arm down the length of her still-robed frame. Drake had never really seen her like this before. It was overwhelming. He and Aria fled to the front room, to give Taylor her space. He stopped abruptly when he saw the older gentleman seated on the sofa, an oddly blank smile plastered across his face.

"Um, hello," the man said when he saw Drake. He seemed unfazed by the large Atrian. "Are you, um, Taylor's, um, young beau?"

Drake gulped. He felt adrift, and searched for an emotional anchor. His eyes scanned the room just as Gloria stepped forward, a large smile on her face.

"Drake, how are you?" she asked him warmly. Drake nodded, but Gloria could see his nerves were getting the best of him. She reached forward and placed a steadying hand on his forearm. "I think Taylor got you something. It's hanging in the bathroom. We'll keep an eye on Aria until Taylor's ready for her."

Drake slipped gratefully into the small empty room. He needed a moment alone to regain his balance. As he shut the door, he saw the garment bag hanging on the back and bit his lip. He could do this. He _wanted_ to do this.

…

Taylor's foster father, the judge – the man who had mistakenly raised her as his own, had loved her and cherished her as the living memory of his beautiful young wife – stood in the center of the living room, surrounded by hand-made Christmas decorations. Gloria was at his left elbow with a leather folio clutched to her chest, and Drake – so handsome in his simple black suit - stood in front of them both. He smiled at Aria as she skipped out from the back bedroom in a sweet holly-green dress and stopped at his side. When Taylor appeared, though, the apartment and its guests faded in comparison. Drake stepped forward, needing her, forgetting himself in the halo of honey-gold hair that framed her bright brown eyes and nervous smile. She reached out to him then, too, and closed the space between them in a rush.

Clutching each other, both felt truly whole.

Taylor finally remembered herself and turned to the judge.

"I'm ready, Daddy," she announced. He smiled at her and told her once again how much she looked like her mother, and then glanced at Drake.

"He, um, sure has a lot of tattoos, um, honey. Are you certain he's, um, The One?"

Drake laughed.

"Daddy!" Taylor scolded lightly. She sobered quickly then and, staring up at Drake, whispered with conviction, "I'm certain." The judge leaned forward and kissed his daughter on the cheek.

"Okay, well, um, that's good enough for me. Um. Let's get started!"


	56. Chapter 56

"Hey guys!" Julia's pert voice preceded her return. "Are you both decent? Because I sure wouldn't want to walk in on any, I don't know, creepy arranged-marriage-related sex stuff or anything!"

"Wooww... Well, Julia's back. And now you are in _so much_ trouble," Emery murmured to Roman as she slid away from him. Julia might usually think of him as her own personal Superman, but when it came to Emery Julia had no barriers, even with Roman. All bets were off.

"Hey Jules, where's everyone else?" Roman asked, jumping up and looking behind the petite Asian hopefully as she stalked into the room.

"Drake's gone off to Taylor's for the night. Lukas and Sophia decided to head to Drake's pod since it's empty and bigger than this place. So there's no getting out of this, buddy." Her arms were crossed and her mouth was a thin line of determination.

"Sophia and Lukas are…?" Roman's brow furrowed in confusion and protective fear. "I should probably go check on that," he tried. Julia pulled herself up to her full height, which put her eyes at Roman's chin.

"You're not going anywhere! It's curfew in a few minutes! And why should Sophia's fate matter to you, anyway? You seem to think it's acceptable to buy and sell women, so I'm pretty sure you don't get to make any more decisions about Sophia's life until you and I have had a little chat." Emery actually cringed as Julia poked a slender finger into Roman's chest for emphasis. She felt so bad for him – he didn't understand how much this mattered to Julia.

"No, Julia, it's not like that -" Roman tried again, stepping back to soothe tensions, but now Julia had warmed up to her topic. She stepped forward, giving Roman no quarter.

"Women are not property, you ass, no matter if you're the _Iksen_ or not!" She shook her head, disappointed. "You had no right to go planning Emery's life for her!"

"I know, Julia, and if you'll give me a chance to expl -"

"No, I don't need to hear your crap excuses. Thank you. I just hope Emery had the good sense to tell you what a colossal fool you are."

"I did, kind of," Emery piped up, not wanting any of this anger turned on her. She happily threw Roman under the bus, for now. If she was honest, he did deserve at least some of what Julia was dishing out. Roman had backed up nearly to the table, and Julia was still right in his face. She didn't look as angry as Emery had expected… instead she just seemed sad.

"You know, if she had _actually_ gone through with it, she would have ended up resenting you for forcing it on her? She would have _hated_ you in the end, Roman. Thank god we've avoided _that_ catastrophe!"

"Well, - actually, I haven't yet decided what to do," Emery tried. Julia waved one hand at her dismissively.

"Please, Em, this isn't even about you right now," she responded, continuing to stare at Roman with a withering glare. Emery scoffed in shocked disbelief at the other girl's comment.

"Julia! Yes, this _is_ about me. It's my life! My future! So just stop it!" Emery grabbed her friend's shoulders and pulled her around so they were facing each other. "You don't know what happened, okay? Just - please - listen to him!"

Julia crossed her arms once again. She didn't want to believe Roman was a bad guy, so a part of her hoped Emery was right… But a darker part of her, a part that grew up the descendant of poor immigrants, remembered at the genetic level what it meant to be a girl, in a culture where women had been considered commodities for too long. She considered Emery's request carefully.

"Fine. I'll listen. But I _will_ judge you, so tread carefully." Roman knew it wasn't even a threat anymore, just a cold hard promise.

He swallowed and reached for Emery's hand. Together this time, they recounted the story.

…

Drake's pod had the feel of an apartment whose residents were away on vacation. There was a very slight smell of musty closed-up-ness, and a couple items in the refrigerator needed to be tossed out. Sophia moved around the space with a nervous energy, making up chores to keep herself busy. Lukas gave up on trying to follow her around after a while, and just sank on the sofa to wait.

After her fifth trip through with a dust-cloth, though, Lukas reached out for her wrist.

"Okay Sophia, it's enough." He smiled at her beguilingly. "You're avoiding me, aren't you?" Sophia sighed and her eyes softened under his gaze. She sank onto the sofa next to him, but kept a small distance between them. Under his breath, Lukas muttered "…and room for the Holy Ghost…" – a saying he'd grown up hearing from his elders as an admonition against getting too cozy with girls.

"Lukas, we should never have kissed. I took advantage of you, and I feel terrible," Sophia confessed. She looked down at her hand, where his long brown fingers still encircled her wrist. She hated herself for not wanting him to let go, even now.

"Sophia, I get it; I'm a big boy. It was a needy moment for us both. And..." Lukas struggled for a moment. "I… I took advantage of you, too. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard. You've been through way too much, and you don't need my bullsh -"

"No!" Sophia rushed, putting her hand up against his mouth to stop him before he could make her feel worse. "You didn't push too hard. I knew _exactly_ what I was doing." As she spoke, Lukas' eyes drifted closed and he gently kissed her fingers where they pressed into his lips. She gasped softly and withdrew her hand as though she'd been burnt.

Lukas' breath quickened and his skin heated as he watched her chest rise and fall rapidly, trying to regain her sense of self-control. They were both silent for several minutes, neither sure how to interpret her reaction. Sophia decided to try ignoring it.

"Look, I just needed the connection. But for you it meant more, didn't it?" She was whispering, but there was a catch in her voice that Lukas recognized. She was trying hard not to cry. Lukas leaned against the back of the sofa and rubbed his hands over his scalp in frustration.

"There are no winners here, Sophia. You know that, right?"

"You mean because of Taylor and Drake," Sophia guessed. That gave Lukas pause.

"Yes. I wasn't even sure you knew."

"Really?" She laughed a bit, bitterly. "I've known Drake my whole life, Lukas. When he brought home a child that looked just like a miniature version of her, it was a pretty good clue. He's not usually the parental type." Lukas released her wrist then, but only to move his arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

"I'm so sorry, Soph."

"It's okay. I first suspected ages ago. I've only known for sure in the past few days, though. But that's where he goes at night, isn't it? To her?" Lukas nodded mutely.

"Well. I'm really happy for them. Truly." Sophia smiled and it ripped a tiny piece from Lukas' heart. How could she be _so_ good, even now?

"Sophia. I know you can't feel the same way for me that you do for her, but… I'm here for you," Lukas offered quietly. "And I'll be here every time and any time you need me." He looked at her, hoping his offer would not be misinterpreted.

Sophia closed her eyes and leaned sideways until her head rested on Lukas' thigh. She tucked her legs up onto the sofa, and began to relax as Lukas gently stroked her hair.

"I'll always want you," he whispered. "Unconditionally. I can't pretend I don't."

"I'm sorry I can't be with you the way you deserve," she answered him equally quietly. "But I don't want to be the one who breaks your heart, Lukas. It's such a good, kind heart."

"How about you let me worry about my heart, hm?" Lukas asked. He couldn't restrain himself. She was so warm, so inviting, so… near. He leaned forward and brushed his lips softly across her cheek.

Before he could pull away, Sophia's hand snaked up and grabbed the back of his head, holding him there. She turned to face him, her lips seeking his, and Lukas' heart threatened to push up through his throat at the flavor and hunger of her. He kissed her back eagerly, scarcely daring to breath in case he broke the spell of this moment. Without releasing her lips, he ran one hand down her shoulder, her arm, to her hips. He grabbed her slender waist and pulled her closer to him, and in turn she wrapped both arms around him fully, giving in to her repressed needs - and at the same time hating herself for it, for not stopping it.


	57. Chapter 57

_**[Um. This is the most 'M' chapter I've ever posted. I think it may be the most 'M' chapter I've ever written. Be warned.]**_

...

Taylor blinked slowly awake, trying to place the feeling of contentment that suffused her body. She became aware of the pleasant heat of his skin first, pressed against the length of her naked side, and then of the weight of his arm across her stomach. She smiled, not daring to move. She must have woken much earlier than usual – in fact, it was still dark out. This was such a rare treat, waking up to find him still here, that she intended to enjoy every stolen moment.

"Good morning, Blondie," he rumbled without moving. Taylor giggled. _Busted._

"How did you know I was awake?"

"Your breathing changes." Drake's answer was so simple, but it spoke to Taylor powerfully – to realize he knew her _that_ well. She turned onto her left side then, facing him, and moved to tuck her hand under her pillow for support - but he grabbed it. His thumb ran over the simple band of gold that now encircled her finger, marking their union. Drake's eyes were drawn to that ring, mesmerized by the symbol in a way that made Taylor wonder if perhaps he regretted the actions of last night.

"Drake…" she wasn't even sure what to say; luckily he never gave her a chance to scramble for more. He looked up at the sound of her voice, and his eyes were pools of unrepentant joy. He grinned at her, and squeezed her hand so hard she almost cried out in pain.

"God, I love you so much," he growled before he pounced.

Taylor laughed again as he bowled her over, pressing his chest against hers and claiming her mouth with his own. His hands slid the length of her arms, and his fingers locked into hers, spread across the bed. Drake pulled away for a moment and stared down at her, glowing beneath him in the light of a stray moonbeam that had crept through the window. All too soon, the moon would be gone and he would have to take Gloria's message to Roman in the Sector. But for now, he would savor the round softness of Taylor's breasts, rising and falling with her every breath. He would memorize the curve that led from her ribs to her waist and flared out again at her hips, the pale perfection of her stomach. She was a goddess, a symbol of everything his life had lacked; he vowed to prove his love to her, today and every day.

He wanted to be inside her right now, to claim her forever, but he had to practice restraint. She deserved to be made love to; and he wanted to make love to her for the rest of their lives. Slowly, taunting her gently, Drake bent down and kissed each ready nipple lovingly. She moaned under him, her eyes sliding shut as her sensitive nerves responded to his warm mouth. His lips moved to her throat, tickling a path up to her ear, where he stopped for a moment.

"My wife," he whispered roughly, and at the words she arched up, pressing her skin against the length of his torso. Drake panted as his brain exploded in reaction to her touch. She knew him too well.

Taylor curled one leg around Drake's body, and slid it slowly up to his waist. She needed him to fill the hot, aching need in her womb. His resistance was driving her mad. He released one of her hands then, but only to drag his own down the length of her body and along her leg, disentangling himself. He pulled her knee forward slightly, and bent to kiss the inside of her thigh. Taylor shuddered and he smiled, wondering what else he could make her body do. The fingers of Drake's other hand trailed lightly toward the almost translucent skin at her hips, then moved over to her belly button before ever-so-slowly traveling lower, along the path of downy hair that drew a line over her womb. He continued to kiss along her thigh at the same time, and as he worked, he felt her struggling to maintain control of her body. He _wanted_ her to lose control; he wanted her to give that control over to him. His hand moved further, and found her already waiting for him; as he toyed with her, teasing, the trembling in her body increased.

"Drake!" Taylor finally called out, the fire in her belly now all-consuming. She begged him. "Please, Drake, I need you."

Hearing the throaty desire in her voice drove Drake mad. They were both past the point of reason now. He slid into her, filling a void she had not known existed before him. He loved her with a terrifying intensity and, she realized as they both gave in to the driving need for each other, she loved him with the same intensity. As he carried her up to the edge of bliss, she called out his name in an explosion of ecstasy and love. He joined her a moment later, unable and unwilling to contain himself at the sight of her body writhing in the pleasure he had caused her.

As they lay next to each other, recovering, Taylor's hand searched for Drake's and pulled it up to her chest. She pressed his palm against her fluttering heart, and turned to face him with a smile that was equal parts joy and terror.

"What are we doing?" she asked him frankly. He thought about the question seriously.

"We're fighting for our future, and for Aria's," he finally answered. "Nobody else is going to fight for us." His words calmed her slightly, although she still felt anxious. Drake grabbed her closer to him, pressing himself against the length of her, kissing her mouth, her throat, her nose, the crease between her eyebrows. He needed her to understand how much she had changed his life. "No matter what, Taylor, I'll never regret a moment of anything that's happened. I had to travel half the universe to find you; there's nothing on this planet that could take you from me now."

Taylor felt her heart expanding with each word he uttered. She had to find a way to show him how much she loved him...

...

"Dammit. I have to go," Drake's voice roused her – she hadn't realized she had drifted off again. He was already up, pulling on clothes. It pissed her off, watching him cover that perfect body of his.

"No, come on, it's still early," she pleaded.

"It's not, Taylor – look. The sky is getting lighter already."

"You're wrong, Drake, that's just from that old streetlamp outside," she tried. He laughed at her petulant tone and kissed her quickly before pulling his shirt over his head. She reached for him as he stood, letting the sheets fall away. Drake groaned at the sight and reached for her one last time. He cupped a hand gently around her breast and kissed it tenderly before grabbing the back of her neck and tangling his fingers into her tousled golden mane as his mouth found hers hungrily. She whimpered his name and begged for him to stay, and as she rose to meet his kiss, Drake found his resolve weakening.

"Well, maybe a few more minutes. The streets aren't too crowded on Saturdays, right?"

Taylor pulled away then, and swore quietly.

"You have to go," she pouted. "I forgot it's Saturday. It's the farmer's market; they always set up early." At her words, Drake fell heavily onto the bed and pulled her on top of him with a disappointed sigh.

"Soon," Taylor promised with a tempting grin. "But first, you have to get back to Roman. For us," she prompted him, even as her fingers ran flirtatiously along the markings of his throat. She felt him shiver under her and decided that would be enough of a reminder. Taylor wanted to leave Drake motivated, so he would return to her as quickly as possible.


	58. Chapter 58

Drake's trip back to the Sector was full of close calls. There were so many vendors out, setting up their wares for the Saturday morning market, that Drake had to take a detour back to the sewer system. He barely got back into the Sector before the Atrians started their day, and barely managed to slip in among a crowd of older women taking a morning stroll before two SEU guards poked their heads into the passageway's alley. The ladies giggled and stared as Drake smiled with embarrassment and tried to blend in. He managed to get back to Roman and Emery with most of his dignity still intact (although he was fairly certain two of the women had taken some liberties that he shouldn't share with Taylor… or anyone).

Julia met him at the door, looking almost as pissed as she had when they parted ways last night. He nodded at her without saying a word and slipped in to see the _Iksayan_. Drake shook his head; when had _that_ idea become so comfortable to him? He wasn't even sure he believed it yet.

Roman grinned in relief as his friend entered the room, and offered him a place at the breakfast table. Drake flipped the chair backwards and sat down, grabbing some fruit from a large platter and nodding respectfully at Emery, whose smile, he admitted, warmed the room with its kindness.

"So, how was your night?" Roman began with a conspiratorial wink. For a moment Drake wondered if he knew what had taken place last night; but that was impossible. Everyone involved knew the importance of keeping this secret, for now. Drake shrugged noncommittally.

"It's hard, leaving them every morning. I feel like a criminal, sometimes." He looked down at his breakfast, trying to compose himself.

"Soon, Drake," Emery whispered, reaching out and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Yes, exactly. Speaking of which, what did you hear from Gloria?" Roman asked.

"Right." Drake cleared his throat, shifting gears. "The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium. She's expecting a big crowd, so she and the SEU guards will have a tight lock on security. She has extended a personal invitation to the _Hwatab_, the _Iksen_, and the remaining members of the Atrian 7. It's an open meeting, Emery, so all the human citizens are already invited," he added with a quick glance in her direction.

"Okay, so that means the Sector bus will be transporting everyone from here, I guess. The _Hwatab_ rarely leave the Sector, so this will be interesting," Roman said, leaning back in his seat. He stretched one hand toward Emery almost unconsciously, grasping hers as if the few minutes they'd spent separated had been unbearable. It stung Drake, watching the pair together. Here, they were perfectly free to express their true feelings for each other. He missed Taylor suddenly, painfully.

"Hey, wait… where are Sophia and Lukas?" Drake looked around. Roman cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.

"My little sister... spent the night at your apartment. And Lukas was there, too." Emery giggled at Roman's prudish response. When it came to Sophia, he was such a different animal.

"I think it's sweet," she teased. "Sophia needs something good in her life, Roman. And trust me – there's nobody better than Lukas."

Roman's face was a battleground of emotions: adoration for Emery, discomfort with the topic in general, pain at the thought of anyone touching his baby sister, and even a begrudging admission that he was being hypocritical. Julia walked in at that moment, and the struggle written across his features finally thawed her. She laughed, and the laughter was a release for everyone.

"I'm sorry," she finally apologized as she fought to regain self-control, "But Roman – that face is ridiculous. You look like you're about to be violently ill."

"Okay, haha, get it out of your system," Roman said. "And then we have to get everyone together before this meeting tonight, to make sure we have a plan."

It would be the first time the Atrian 7 entered town as the Atrian 6, the first time Roman would speak to the humans of Edendale as his people's _Iksen_, the first time he and Emery would acknowledge their relationship outside the Sector. So many, _many_ things could go wrong tonight.

…

Drake didn't bother to knock. It was his pod. He just let everyone in, still talking about what he should make for lunch, since Elian and the others would be joining them soon. Lukas was very lucky that his friend's bulk hid Roman from view, and that Drake had recently become so sympathetic to inter-species relationships. As soon as his green eyes fell upon the couple cuddled on the sofa, he moved to block the doorway.

"Actually, you know what? I really don't have any fresh ingredients in here these days. Roman, could you go pick up some stuff from Pavri's stand, around the corner? She always gives me a deal, because of Aria; tell her I sent you, okay?"

Lukas could hear some muffled protests from the pod's entranceway, but Drake wouldn't budge.

"Go on, be a man of the people, _Iksen_; they need to see that you're there for them. Go on!"

Once Roman was on his way, Drake let Julia and Emery in. They smiled knowingly at Lukas, who was trapped under Sophia's peacefully-slumbering form.

"Guys; nothing happened. This is as far as anything went," Lukas lied. The rumble in his chest caused Sophia to stir finally; she looked up at Lukas, smiled languorously, and stretched up to give him a soft kiss.

"Ohh, Luke, you are _SUCH_ a dead man," Julia finally choked out. Sophia jumped up with catlike speed at the sound, smoothing her dress and staring at the intruders.

"Hi there! So, what are you doing here?" she managed to sound relatively happy about seeing everyone, but Emery noticed a shadow lurking in her light blue eyes. She felt guilty, although not about being caught. Emery's head pulled back in surprise as she realized Sophia felt guilty about being caught _with Lukas_.

"Sophia, don't worry about it," Emery tried to comfort her. "Roman likes Lukas. Eventually he'll be okay with… whatever is going on. I promise."

"Can we change the subject?" Sophia interjected, not daring to look back at Lukas, who was still sitting on the sofa. Drake stepped forward.

"Hey, Soph. We need to prepare for the meeting tonight. Since my pod's bigger, Roman thought it would be more comfortable. Oh, and he wanted to check on you two, to make sure _nothing happened_." The emphasis on those last two words served as sufficient warning to the other teens. Roman would not hear about it from _them._

"Right. Planning. Prepping. Integration. All that good stuff." Lukas straightened the cushions on the sofa and clapped his hands energetically. "Where do we start?"

When Roman got back with groceries for Drake, Emery had everyone circled around the table, assigning roles for the evening. He leaned down and whispered something into her ear, kissed the smile his secret caused, and then pushed two bags of food at Drake.

"Okay, I did your errands for you; that better be a damn tasty meal," Roman teased his friend. Elian and the other Atrian students arrived just as Drake finished cooking, and everyone sat down to enjoy the dish, so similar to gumbo and yet so distinctly Atrian. As they ate, the group chatted comfortably. For a few, it had been a long time since they'd had a chance to catch up. Roman and Emery, curled around each other on the sofa, smiled contentedly to watch the easy relationships in this room. If there was a way to bottle and distribute the beauty of this moment, surely the rest of the world would understand the importance and feasibility of Integration. Emery looked up at Lukas, and saw he'd had the same idea; he was surreptitiously taping the room with his tablet. She nudged Roman and indicated Lukas with a tilt of the chin.

"Do you think we could use the footage somehow?" Roman asked her quietly. Emery nodded.

"We'll talk to Gloria when we get there, see what we can do."

"Emery. There's something we haven't discussed yet." Roman let his voice return to its normal volume, including the rest of the friends in this part of the conversation. Emery sighed.

"_Iksayan_. I know."

"How would the humans react to the news, if the _Hwatab_ determine it's true? I don't want to endanger your life within the Sector, and if we are _Iksayan_ you'll always be safe here; but if it's at the sacrifice of your safety out there, then that's pointless."

Emerey looked to Lukas and Julia for advice. Lukas looked backed at her helplessly, and Julia was once again shooting icy daggers Roman's way. Apparently, even the mention of Emery and the _Hwatab_ in one sentence was enough to remind her of her anger for Roman. Emery needed this to end.

"Julia, that's enough!" she scolded. "We told you already; Roman thought he was making a deal to save my life. I'm a big girl. I promise not to marry anyone until it's the right time - and _only_ if I'm asked nicely," she added with a smile for Roman. "The possibility that we might be _Iksayan_… that's not something Roman planned. But it may turn out to be better for all of us. So you two need to kiss and make up. Deal? We've got much bigger worries right now. Like saving Integration. And surviving the next twelve hours."


	59. Chapter 59

_**[Oh NOOO! Yes, ladies and gents, I have heard the bad news. And I'm about to piss you all off even more, possibly... Since I need to share that this story was originally designed to end at Chapter 60. It's actually running a bit longer than I expected, so there will be at least one extra chapter... But please be prepared my pets. The end is nigh. I just want to take this chance to assure both Draylor and Romery fans that the end is SO HAPPY. SOOO HAPPYYYYY. I promise!]**_

...

The auditorium was packed; Emery had never seen so many attendees at one of these meetings before. The animosity in the room flowed openly between multiple factions, and the teenagers unconsciously pulled closer together, protectively, around Roman and Emery. This would be the first time a human-Atrian relationship was openly acknowledged to the human residents of Edendale. They all felt the pressure of getting it just right; for Lukas, Sophia, and Drake, the stakes were especially high. Julia and the remaining Atrian students, however, were also committed to Integration and worried about the consequences of this evening.

The nine students clustered behind the _Hwatab_, who were seated in a row at the front of the room. Gloria smiled at them all tentatively before walking back to check in with the security guards at the rear doors. Their handheld scanners had already uncovered several small weapons, which made Gloria especially nervous. The last thing they all needed was a physical confrontation. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned with surprise to see Lukas, who had followed her down the center aisle. The two leaned forward and spoke in hushed tones, then Lukas disappeared through a nearby door.

Drake searched the crowd for Taylor, concern building. Where was she? It was Julia who pointed them out, tapping Drake on the chest and indicating the far corner of the room, where Taylor held an expertly-disguised Aria on one hip. They both looked far too fragile, packed in with this mess of friends and foes alike. Drake's face worked to remain neutral as he scouted exit strategies and worked to identify the greatest threats in Taylor's part of the room. If something happened here, he had to be ready to take them both and get back to the Sector no matter what it took. Again, it was Julia who rescued him from himself. She stepped up, and linked her arm through his in companionable silence. The simple act of friendship and solidarity shocked Drake out of his fog; he smiled down at the diminutive girl thankfully.

Roman and Emery were each talking to different members of the _Hwatab_; to an innocent observer, there was little to connect the two students. To anyone with knowledge of what the past weeks had wrought on this couple, though, it was impossible to miss the depth of their connection. They mirrored each other's movements subconsciously, one standing just as the other did, smiling when the other smiled, with barely a glance between them.

Just as the crowd began to settle, Gloria appeared at the front of the room as if by magic. She welcomed the audience warmly, her expressive mouth a bright white smile of openness, as she reminded everyone of the importance of maintaining a civil tone during tonight's conversation. She then introduced the evening's guests: directly behind her, Saul and the primary officers of the school board sat in stony, cross-armed disapproval. To the right of the audience, several well-known members of the local business community had gathered to share their opinions. Gloria finished her introductions on the opposite side of the room, with the _Hwatab_ and the Atrian 6. It was the first time Teri's loss had been acknowledged publicly; Sophia found herself choking up and turned to Roman's shoulder for quiet comfort. Gloria then added that some of the Atrians' high school classmates had chosen to join them onstage as well, tonight, in a show of support for their peers.

Before she could continue, a rustle began in the back of the auditorium. Gloria's head tilted in surprise and members of the audience shifted in their seats for a better view as, singly and in pairs, Marshall High students sprinkled amongst the audience stood, offering support in the moving greatness of their silence. Gloria Garcia, who considered herself a strong woman, clapped a hand over her gaping mouth and struggled to remain impassive. At least thirty human students now stood in the audience, staring hard at the school board, judging their elders and finding them lacking.

It took several long seconds for Gloria to compose herself enough to continue.

"Yes, well... I would like to join the Atrian 6 in thanking each of their classmates for coming out this evening. It is a wonderful testament to the success of this program, so we truly do thank you. Your actions are witnessed by all those here, and we will do our best to make wise choices." She urged the teenagers to sit down, and tried to bring the meeting back in line with her original schedule, by introducing Roman next. She explained that as the Sector's new _Iksen,_ and a member of the Atrian 6 himself, Roman had proven himself a vital ally in efforts to ensure the success of the Integration program.

Roman smiled politely at her smooth half-truths, and thanked everyone for their interest in the results of the night's meeting. He assured the audience that Gloria was a wonderful partner, a tireless advocate for the success of the Integration program and personally very supportive of each of the Atrian 6. The two of them turned and shook hands before Gloria opened the floor to members of the town's business community.

Once again she reminded everyone present that it was incumbent on them all to use this evening in a constructive manner, and explained that she would mediate the conversation when necessary; then she stepped back and handed her microphone to a young man in a sweater-vest and tortoise-shell glasses. He, and several other small-business owners, took turns explaining just how much damage the Sector was doing to their businesses. The black market within the Sector was the first problem outlined; instead of purchasing items from local vendors for resale at legitimate stores, a thriving black market had essentially taken over all commerce. Additionally, there were several complaints regarding the lack of access to Atrian consumers. Nearly half the population of Edendale was being kept away from the local stores and local goods that helped drive this town's economy.

After they spoke, a representative from the school board stepped forward to offer a counterpoint. It was painfully obvious that the emotional pleas of those who had spoken before him had already affected many in the audience; they were naturally predisposed to dislike the school board's perspective. Gloria had manipulated this part of the evening quite well. The school board, in choosing to send forward Samuel Gregor, had just helped her case along. Sam was a poor public speaker under the best circumstances; tonight, with this large audience, his nasal voice and slow careful speech pattern offered a sad contrast that even Gloria could not have planned better.

Next, Gloria invited a member of the _Hwatab _to speak. As the Vwasak elder stood, someone in the audience made an off-color comment. The elder stumbled a bit, and glanced out at the sea of grotesquely unmarked faces, terrified. None of them had any real experience with the humans in these large group settings. Gloria sucked air in through her clenched teeth, wondering how best to handle the situation.

It was Emery who stepped forward, reaching down to clasp the elder's hand reassuringly. She stared out at the audience, and her eyes burned with shame for the actions of her people. The tender, cautious teenager who had started high school only a few months ago was gone. Roman had changed her. She knew now what her best self was, and that it was to be found standing at Roman's side, helping him forge a new path for their people – both human and Atrian.

"I know we are better than this," she accused them all. "This man has never been _anything_ but compassionate to me and to my family, and I truly believe we can all prove to him we are equally as gracious." Someone else called out that he wasn't a man at all, he was a martian – which drew snide laughs from many in the audience. Maybe the Redhawks hadn't completely disappeared, after all. Emery was less concerned with the political source – she wanted to make the human connection, because that was her forte. She positively glowed with righteous indignation as she spoke.

"Who said that? Where are you?" she called, peering through the rows of faces. "Come on, raise your hand! You feel brave right now, anonymous in the crowd, don't you? … It's fine, I'll find you eventually." She smiled benevolently at the members of the _Hwatab_, and allowed a lingering moment for Roman, too. His loving blue eyes stared back, pouring strength and bravery into the very core of her. She turned to the audience again. "The Atrians have welcomed me and my friends into their homes, their hearts, their society with loving arms. All I had to do was be a kind and decent human being, and I _know_ in my soul, each one of you is capable of that!" Many of the jokes and snickers died down in the face of her hope, but not all.

Emery paused for a moment. She glanced back at Roman once more, trying to read his face. Was it now? Was this the time and the place to present their relationship to the citizens of Edendale?


	60. Chapter 60

**_[Okay, this is NOT the last chapter. I've been in mourning, my dears – mourning! I need to finish this story, but part of me is avoiding it because then it will all be over. So… one more chapter after this, gang. It's been a great ride!]_**

**_[Also - I hope you all love Taylor as much as I do in this chapter. She's my GIRL.]_**

Emery balled her hands into fists, and stared down at the ground for a moment in concentration. When she looked back up, she caught Lukas' eye and nodded slightly. As he reached for the small remote control resting in his jacket pocket, Emery turned back to face the ambivalent audience.

"My life was changed forever ten years ago," she began, softly. Behind her, the wall of the auditorium lit and video of the friends gathered in Drake's pod began to play. Against this backdrop - silent images of mutual respect, friendship, and easy camaraderie - Emery found her voice. "I was supposed to be in bed the night the Atrians arrived… but were any of us really sleeping? I know I couldn't. I snuck outside because I heard a noise in my parents' shed… and found a little boy with markings on his face, shivering in fear. He was eventually discovered by National Guard soldiers and ripped from me. I mourned his death for a decade... But I am so happy to say that little boy is here tonight, ladies and gentlemen, and he is now the leader of his people. Roman?" she turned back to him and smiled at him in adoration; Roman strode forward, grasping her hand and lacing his fingers into hers for all to see. "We have been lucky enough to find each other after 10 years. I can't - I _won't_ say goodbye to him again." She paused and let Roman's simple gesture say the rest.

A ripple of surprise swept the room. There was scattered applause, and some cheering and whistling from their classmates in the audience, but a middle-aged woman stood and began to yell at Emery. She screamed that Emery was a race-traitor, a tattie lover... she continued but by then others had drowned her out. Nearly a dozen audience members were standing now, shouting over each other in their efforts to be heard. Before Gloria could step in and regain control, one of the men in the audience moved into the center aisle and walked to the front of the room.

He waved a righteous finger at Emery and Roman, turning back to the audience as he called on them to help him stop this sickness. It was a perversion. He would not just stand by and let a bunch of aliens steal the women of Edendale out from under everyone's noses. Emery tried to interject but he kept shutting her down, yelling over her voice.

"Hey, Mr. Ninteenth-Century, it's not stealing, it's love!" Taylor suddenly called from the back of the auditorium. Heads whipped back to stare, and everyone went quiet at the sight of the judge's daughter. A few whispers passed back and forth _– y'know, turned out she wasn't his at all, isn't it scandalous? – oh that judge, such a kind-hearted man, surely he knew the whole time! – was it an affair, d'you think? – who cares, she got all the Langeford money, y'know. – she's richer'n God himself, poor young thing._

Taylor glowed with an inner fire. She hugged Aria tightly on her hip, not daring set the girl down in this group, and walked deliberately toward the angry Red Hawk at the front of the room. As she closed the last few feet, and then passed him, her eyes bored into his and dared him to comment. She joined Emery and only then did she release Aria, patting her lightly on the back and sending her off to Drake. Then she turned, smiled a million-watt smile at Emery and Roman, and grabbed Emery's other hand.

"If these two love each other, would you really separate them? Would you ask her to give him up – _again?_" Taylor shook her head and her lips thinned in gentle admonition.

"What about me? Would you separate _my _family?" she continued, and Drake moved forward now, slipping his hand into hers. Aria waved at everyone from Drake's shoulders shyly, and several women in the audience smiled and waved back. _What a cute little girl. Boy did she look just like Taylor; but since when did the pretty teen have a little sister?_

Taylor knew a little something about public speaking. She gave the audience a moment to form their own opinions about the four teenagers arranged at the front of the room, then turned to Emery with a wink and released her back to Roman.

"This is my half-sister, Aria. She has no other blood relatives besides me," Taylor announced, reaching up once more for the toddler, who jumped into her arms readily. As she spoke, Taylor pulled a wipe from her purse and began to gently clean make-up off Aria's face.

"Let's show them all how beautiful you _really_ are, sweetheart," Taylor whispered to Aria when she struggled against the damp cloth for a moment.

After a few seconds of shocked silence at the site of Aria's now exposed markings, the audience erupted. Gloria stepped forward, signaling two guards who rushed to stand on either side of Taylor and Aria.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I _can_ confirm this claim," Gloria announced with a loud clear voice. "Genetic testing has shown that Taylor and Aria share a common, human, father."

The auditorium held its collective breath at that. _There was just so much going on; it was like being at the theater! What could possibly happen next?_

"Please don't take my wife from me," Drake pleaded into the anticipatory stillness.

_Yep - that seemed about right. _

What had started as a straightforward meeting had turned into the best free entertainment in town.

There were no angry shouts this time, just quiet murmurings around the room at the news of an Integrated marriage. Several board members, and a few of the business leaders, rushed to Gloria's side and whispered urgently. She nodded and answered their questions, as the audience slowly settled down.

Finally, the de facto representative of the school board stepped forward again to address the audience.

"We need to study the documentation that Ms. Garcia had provided, which upon cursory inspection appears to confirm _both_ the claims of a blood relationship between a human and an Atrian, as well as the legitimacy of the marriage between a human and an Atrian. We cannot make a final proclamation until we have had time to authenticate these claims, of course." It was bureaucratic non-speak, and just as before, the audience turned on the school board. There were boos and catcalls.

"No, it's fine, take your time," Taylor called out from her place amongst the Atrian contingent. "In the meantime, you should be aware that I will be drafting a discrimination suit against the City of Edendale after this meeting. You're all suggesting that my family should be separated, which goes against everything our country believes. Drake is Aria's legal guardian, according to Atrian law. He's my husband, according to ours. And she's my sister. Honestly! Could it be any easier, people? I assure you, I will take this to the Supreme Court of the United States if necessary." Taylor's voice rose above the new eruptions of chatter at this threat. "You _will not_ break up my family!"


	61. Chapter 61

**_[My lovelies, this is the end. I know it is a sad night for us all, but I hope you will find a little comfort here. Thank you for making my first-ever FanFic writing experience so wonderful, and to those of you I've befriended along the way (shout-out to Marina Black1 and Duchess Emma, but there are many others, too!) - I'm so very glad we "met"!]_**

...

Christmas, New Year's, and Mardi Gras had come and gone. On this warm spring night, the central plaza in the Sector was again lit softly with old hanging lanterns and strings of lights, and curious guests were gathering around the edges in small friendly clusters. The main topic of conversation was the inclusion of a sixth table into the star that filled the center of the plaza. There had been rumors, but until now nobody had been really sure it would happen.

The level of chatter rose suddenly, both in volume and tone, as the last group of special guests arrived and everyone craned their necks for a good view. At the front of the makeshift parade strode Gloria Garcia in a stunning floor-length gray dress. The voices hushed now, as everyone caught sight of the little boy hiding in the folds of her skirt. His brown curls were so reminiscent of his mother; the markings he bore, a last gift from his Atrian father. _Nox's youngest son._

The pair stopped by a plain-looking door just off the plaza, but the wave of humans behind them carried on, moving in to the plaza and filtering in among the Atrians. Some of the humans were able to recognize friends of theirs, and they grouped up to share news and discuss the evening's excitement. For others, this was a wholly-new experience. The air of the tourist hung over those guests, and volunteers from an informal welcoming committee moved to their side to offer support. No human should feel left out on this most exciting night.

After a short time, everyone began moving to their seats; important members of the Zwahan, Vwasak, Iwabas, and Swamad tribes took their places at their respective tables, and the humans sat at the sixth. A few of the special guests – generally the younger ones - were identified, separated, escorted to the main banquet table.

Without warning, the Atrians stood as one; the humans fumbled a bit, but shuffled to their feet, as well. When Gloria and her son emerged from the dark doorway alongside the_ Hwatab_, the Sector sank into reverent silence. The delegation moved to the center of the plaza, and separated, revealing the _Iksayan_ to the crowd. A collective sigh of awe passed through the space, as Roman and Emery, young and strong and beautiful in matching black, smiled out at their people. The _Iksayan_ held hands as they moved to the main table, nodding to friends they passed along the way, and waited until the _Hwatab_ – and Gloria – had taken their places at the heads of their respective tables. With a nod, Emery formally released the _Hwatab_ and as they sat, the plaza came back to life. The buzz of conversation resumed, and Roman and Emery turned to look at each nervously.

"Okay, two minutes down, an entire evening left," Roman joked. He squeezed Emery's hand gently, and she smiled at him.

"As long as it goes better than last time, I'm fine," Emery responded, leaning into him for a kiss. Roman reached up to catch her jaw tenderly with one hand, and the world faded… he lost himself in Emery, in her goodness and stubbornness and reckless bravery and determination. She was his home, and he thought – as he had so many times before – that he could not really comprehend how she had come to him.

"Hey Romeo, ease up on my leader, there!" Drake, seated to Roman's right, finally interrupted. "You're making this uncomfortable for everyone else." Roman pulled away from Emery with an apologetic grin and then turned to face his friend.

"That, for your information, was a challenge. You better make me look pathetic, when it's your turn." He grinned then as Drake considered his words.

Roman was going to regret this.

"Fine then, _Iksen_, care to make it interesting? A wager."

Emery, with Taylor seated beside her, turned to listen in on the exchange between the two best friends. Taylor leaned forward as well, curious to see what would happen. Across the table, Sophia and Julia looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Ah, boys," Lukas sighed dramatically, teasing the girls. Sophia smacked his arm and turned to Julia.

"How did you put up with him all those years in the hospital?" she joked.

"I used to pretend I was asleep," Julia laughed. Roman didn't hear them; his eyes narrowed, and he contemplated Drake's idea with mock gravity.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I want your car." Drake was suddenly very serious.

"My ca- What? No! You can't have my car."

"So you concede that I'll win."

"Umm, excuse me, Drake, I think you mean 'we' will win," Taylor added with a playful smirk. Emery shot her a surprised look.

"Are you really egging them on?" she asked.

"I like Roman's car," Taylor answered simply.

"And I like giving my wife things she likes," Drake added. Emery, who had just taken a mouthful of water from the glass at her place setting, almost spit it across the table as she laughed.

"Roman and I get a do-over, though," she finally conceded. "The stakes are much too high now."

"And what would you like, if – no I'm sorry, _when _- we win?" Roman asked Emery. She screwed her mouth up prettily in thought.

"Taylor's wedding dress," she finally answered. The group of friends grew quiet at Emery's answer, until Roman finally broke the silence.

"Emery, what are you saying?" he barely dared hope she was serious.

"I'm saying I like Taylor's wedding dress. When we get married, I want to wear it," she answered simply, and Roman's face lit at her words.

She had put her foot down ages ago. He was not allowed to ask her hand in marriage until she felt ready. In the meantime, of course, he was certainly welcome to approach Mr. Whitehill for pre-approval. She had meant it as a warning, but Roman had instantly thrown the door of their shed open, marched up the steps to her house, and asked Mr. Whitehill if they could speak privately.

The moment of levity at the head table was interrupted by announcement of the evening's first entertainment, and the _Iksayan_ settled back into their role as gracious hosts. It was not long before the wager was behind them; the celebration was a long and complicated one, and after dinner Roman and Emery found they were up and out of their seats more often than not.

Toward the end of a particularly exciting acrobatics display, the _Iksayan_ traveled back to the head table and leaned toward Drake and Taylor.

"It's time," Emery whispered with a smile. She and Taylor disappeared into a nearby pod, while Roman led Drake to the center of the plaza and waited for the applause to die down.

"_Asuloviv_," the _Iksen_ said to the performers with a formal bow, then stepped forward. The audience hushed immediately in anticipation.

"Good evening," Roman began, slightly nervous on his friend's behalf. "As you may know, our people have long had a tradition of celebrating these remarkable feasts by filling the night with every happiness we know." He turned as he spoke, addressing the circle one section at a time. "Dancing, music; the laughter of good friends and the hugs of close family. But I am honored to say that this evening, we will also be joining two houses in marriage." Applause filled the air; this was what they had waited for. "For your _Iksayan_, this is a personal happiness, as we watch two of our closest friends become one family." He smiled and took a breath, willing himself not to get too emotional. "Drake has been my brother in all the ways that matter, since before we arrived on Earth. Last night, your _Iksayan_ met with the _Hwatab_ and with Drake." Emery, emerging from the pod behind him, glided to her space at his side and wrapped an arm around his waist. "Together we discussed his plans for the future, and advised him as best we could regarding his desire for a suitable life partner." Emery squeezed Roman's waist one time for strength, and then stepped forward.

"It is our judgment, and the judgment of the _Hwatab_, that Drake, of the Vwasak tribe, be forever bound to the human, Taylor. We see that theirs is a true match, and that uniting these two families will bring strength to our people." Even as she spoke, Emery marveled at the formality of the proclamation. Now that she was part of it, she could see how this ancient ceremony would have been just as political as it was romantic.

Taylor emerged from the pod then, and the crowd gasped. Her silver dress, a confection of expertly-braided thick tulle bands twisting and whirling across her body as if alive, ended with a short train carried by Aria, in a matching silver gown. The pair walked forward, and Emery grasped her friend's hand tightly as she continued, her words echoing Roman's announcement of a moment before.

"Last night, your _Iksayan_ also met with the _Hwatab_ and with Taylor. We discussed her plans for the future, and advised her as best we could regarding her desire for a suitable life partner." Emery turned to Roman, handing the responsibility back to him.

"It is our judgment, and the judgment of the _Hwatab,_ that the human, Taylor, be forever bound to Drake, of the Vwasak tribe. We see that theirs is a true match, and that uniting these two families will bring strength to our people."

The audience exploded in cheers at this final declaration, and Taylor stared up at Drake as the _Iksayan_ slipped away unnoticed. She was certain she would see a hint of the nervousness from their first hurried, secret wedding in her apartment. Instead she found his face suffused with pride, his green eyes bright with love for her. She was his universe, his life, and now she was his family under both human and Atrian law. Yes, they still had to get through the excruciatingly boring bits, involving exchanging formal gifts between the families as tokens of their new relationship, but even if the world ended now, Drake would be content in the knowledge that he and Taylor were bound forever. He pulled her close, lifting her an inch off the ground in his elation, and kissed her deeply. She knew this kiss – this kiss always ended with a lot of torn or missing clothing, and the glow of sated desire. Through her own tears of happiness, Taylor kissed him back, melting in his arms.

Emery and Roman watched the lovers' embrace from the back of the crowd, and Roman began to worry about his car. He loved that car; what if Taylor didn't take good care of it?

Emery finally dragged him out of his reverie with a gentle kiss on the cheek. He turned to her, and something in the way she smiled, or perhaps in the gentle flush of her cheeks, made him pause to focus on her fully.

"Emery, I know it's been so busy these last few days; I'm sorry we haven't had as much time together," he began, running his hands down her waist to her hips. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder, then her neck, her jaw…

"Roman, I need to talk to you," Emery gasped as his lips set her skin on fire.

"Mm-hmm, anything," he murmured happily, nuzzling against her neck. His world was bliss; after all the fear and turmoil, he had her, and his people were safe. Roman couldn't believe the completeness of his happiness in this moment.

"Roman… we're pregnant."


End file.
